Tides of Fate
by SparklingTwilight
Summary: After four years in a bad relationship, and two years of depressed seclusion, Alice and Rosalie drag best friend Bella on a tropical vacation designed by fate. AH OOC. B/E, R/Em, A/J. Rated M for future lemony goodness and occasional strong lang.PLS R
1. Desperate Times Call4Desperate Measures

**AN: To anyone that has read my other story, Breaking the Silence, this story is going to be NOTHING like that. While I have a slight bit of drama planned out for this story, there will be nowhere near the amount of angst that was in BTS. I'm aiming for this to be fun, light, and lemony. I hope you all enjoy it!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. SM does and she graciously allows all of us FF writers to borrow them from time to time.

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Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

BPOV

"Bella, get up. Come on, you can't keep doing this day after day," my little pixie of a best friend whined as she pulled my blankets away from me. I huffed and snatched them back and buried myself back into the warm and comfy confines of my sanctuary... otherwise known as my bed.

"For Christ's sake, Bells. It's been two goddamn_ years_! We're not letting this go on a minute longer. This is beyond ridiculous!" my other best friend ranted as she pulled me from the bed by my feet. I flopped onto the floor with a resounding thud followed quickly by an angry "Ow."

"No, Rosalie! What's ridiculous is the two of you storming in here every other day and disrupting me from the one thing I enjoy in life... SLEEP!" I said angrily as I tried to crawl my way back into the bed.

I was suddenly snatched by two pairs of hands and led forcefully into the bathroom.

"Bella, take a fuckin' shower, will you? I swear I'm going to burn those damn holey sweats and those funk nasty sheets!" Rose muttered as she pushed me into the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind me.

I stood in the bathroom, glaring at the door and knowing that it was useless to try and open it. A few weeks ago, or maybe it was months I'm not quite sure, they had flipped my door knob around so the lock was on the outside and they took everything out of my apartment that they could find that would somehow enable me to fix it. The sad part is that they did that knowing that I would never leave the confines of my crap hole to buy a simple screwdriver. I huffed and stomped my foot as Rosalie's voice sounded from the other side of the door.

"Bella, either you get into the shower or I'm going to hose you off with the fire hose in the hallway!"

"FINE! Get the hose, I dare you!" I yelled back as I stomped my foot once more.

"SO HELP ME GOD, BELLA! THAT SHOWER BETTER TURN ON IN THE NEXT TEN SECONDS!" she yelled back.

"What does it matter? No one sees me besides the two of you. No one else gives a damn," I spluttered as my traitorous tears began to appear.

"Bells, please don't cry. We know it's been hard, but you can't keep doing this to yourself. Rosalie's right. It's been two years that you've been holed up in this apartment. You don't eat properly unless we bring food here, you won't shower unless we force you to, and you haven't stepped foot outside of your door since the day you moved in, with the exception of us dragging you to your clinic appointments. Please, we just want to help you get back to being the person you're supposed to be and stop living as an empty shell," Alice pleaded through the door as I slid down the wall.

"I can't Alice. I just can't. I don't even know who I am or who I'm supposed to be. He took all of that away when he left," I sobbed and two seconds later I heard the click of the lock and the door swung open.

"Bella, he was an ass. He had always been an ass. Jake treated you like shit the whole four years you were together as a couple, but you kept going back to him. Why? Why would you do that to yourself?" Rose asked softly as she slid down the wall next to me and wrapped an arm around me.

"Don't.. I'm dirty. You'll ruin your clothes," I whispered as ignored her questions and tried to pull away from her in a futile attempt.

"So what? That just gives me an excuse to buy new ones," she chuckled and I shot her an incredulous look.

"Bells, we love you, but this has to stop. You deserve to be happy, and locking yourself up in this apartment while you write your tragic romance novels isn't going to find you happiness. Where's the girl that loved to head out for a night on the town with us? Where's the girl that would have spontaneous bouts of word vomit, and usually at the most inopportune moments? Where's the girl that stood by us and threatened to kick any guy's ass that hurt us? We miss her," she said with a heartbroken expression.

"I don't know. She's just gone," I replied as I looked at her sadly.

"She's not gone, she's just hiding. You're in there, Bells. Just, for the love of God, let us help you find yourself again," Alice pleaded and I looked from Rosalie to her.

"You guys aren't going to play Bella Barbie are you? I really can't handle that," I said warily as I looked between the two of them and tried to wipe my face dry.

"Not if you don't want us to, but please at least take a shower and brush your hair. We'll leave you clean clothes on the counter, and I promise it won't be anything outrageous," Alice said as she handed me a tissue.

"Okay," I whispered in defeat.

Alice and Rosalie helped me up off the floor and then exited the bathroom, not locking the door behind them for once. I stood and faced the mirror and stared at myself for a few moments. I couldn't even recognize myself anymore. I had always been pale, but Christ I was practically translucent. Regardless of how much time I had spent in bed, I still had dark, puffy circles underneath my dull brown eyes. My lips were chapped horribly, probably from dehydration, and I just looked sallow and sickly.

I finally turned away from the mirror with a shudder and turned the shower on. When the water was finally warm enough, I stripped out of my clothing and stepped under the hot stream. I had to admit, it was actually quite soothing and refreshing.

"Bella, your clothes are on the counter whenever you get out. I brought you a new toothbrush and hairbrush as well. Take your time," Alice said softly.

"Thanks, Ali," I said quietly.

"Anytime, Bells," she replied sadly before exiting the bathroom.

Ugh. Why did it have to come to this? I can't believe it's been two damn years since he walked out with that wench. Hell, I can't believe he had the nerve to bring her to our home. Home...ha! What a joke. Home implies something that's warm and inviting, and something that you look forward to returning to. I loved that house. It was my first real reward for having followed my dreams.

All through high school I was told repeatedly that I wouldn't make it as an author. I heard it time and time again. Bella you need to go to college. Bella you need to find a real career. Bella you need to get your head out of the clouds. Bella, Bella, Bella. Ugh. At least I can say they were all wrong. Only problem is that I've succeeded in my dreams, but have now lost the ability to enjoy any part of that success.

Four years we were together. Four damn years. I can't even say that there was a single one of them that brought me the happiness that I thought you were supposed to find when you loved someone. Yeah, okay, so I have a somewhat warped view of what love is based on my parents' marriage, but I never lost the notion that love equaled happiness. My parents are happy...somewhat. Oh who the hell am I kidding...they're down right miserable with each other, but for some reason they stay together.

I thought for so long that if we had just stuck it out, it would work out for the best. We had always been such great friends and I thought that if we just tried to make it work as a couple, then one day we would find our happiness within each other. I was a goddamn fool for ever thinking that. I was a fool for ever giving into his relentless pleas for a relationship. I was beyond a fool for ever thinking that he meant it when he said he was sorry for cheating on me, and that he would never do it again. I was a complete fool for ever believing him when he said he loved me. Worst of all, I was an imbecile for ever thinking he'd come back after he left that final time, wench in tow, or even wanting him to come back.

God I _hated_ her. She was everything I wasn't. She was tall, dark skinned, graceful... beautiful. She even had a laugh that sounded like melodious bells...unlike mine that sounded like something off the Three Stooges or Revenge of the Nerds. The sound of that laugh as they left my house in shambles will haunt me until the day I die...and possibly even longer.

"Bella? Did you drown in there?" Rosalie asked with a slightly worried tone, effectively bringing me out of my internal musings.

"No, sorry. I spaced out. I'll be out in a minute," I said as I realized that my hot water was quickly running out.

I hurriedly washed my hair and soaped myself up, even going the extra mile to quickly shave my legs. Yeah...not a good thing to rush. I sliced the hell out of my ankle.

"Shit," I muttered as the soap began to sting the gash.

"Are you alright?" she asked as she flung the bathroom door open.

"I'm fine, Rose. I just cut myself while shaving," I said quickly as I finished running the razor over the last strip of my leg.

"Oh la la, shaving? I never thought I'd see the day again," she said sarcastically and I scoffed as I rinsed off underneath the frigid water.

"Can you hand me a towel please? And possibly a band-aid... or hell a roll of gauze, cause this sucker's bleeding like crazy," I said as I shut the water off and stood shivering behind the curtain. She thrust a towel between the curtain and the wall and I muttered my thanks with chattering teeth.

"Alright Bells, there's a bandage on the counter. Hurry up, we have to be out of here in forty five minutes at the latest," she said, but I didn't get a chance to reply as she quickly departed the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

Forty five minutes? Where the hell were we going? Crap, if I knew they were dragging me somewhere I would have fought harder to stay in bed. This is just fan-freaking-tastic.

I quickly hopped out of the shower and toweled off before getting dressed. I eyed the clothes that Alice had set out warily for a moment before shrugging. She could have done much worse than a pair of Bermuda shorts and a tank top. At least it's plain... like me.

I bandaged my leg before getting dressed and quickly brushing my hair, pulling it back into a simple pony tail and then brushed my teeth. I even went as far as putting on a little chapstick to smooth out my lips. With one final look in the mirror, I finally departed the bathroom.

"She lives!" Rosalie cried out theatrically as Alice rolled her eyes. I let out a sardonic laugh and made my way towards the bed.

"Ah, ah, ah. It took us forever to get you out of that bed, Missy. There's no way in hell you're getting back into it. Besides, I haven't stripped those god awful sheets off of it yet," Rosalie said as she pulled me away from the bed and led me out into the living room.

"Umm...guys? Why are there suitcases by the door?" I asked warily as I sat down on the couch.

"Here, put these on," Alice said as she handed me a pair of flip flops. I put them on and waited for one of them to answer my question.

"Bella, don't get mad," Rose said cautiously as she approached me. "We're going on vacation."

"What? Where? For how long? I have a deadline to meet you know!" I screeched as I shot up from the couch.

"Yeah...about that. Um, I knew that your manuscript was pretty much finished and that you've been fiddling with the editing..so I took the liberty of e-mailing it to Angela. She said to tell you to take a long break and not to worry about the editing. She'll handle it," she said with a grimace as she braced herself for me to lash out.

"WHAT THE HELL ROSE!" I shouted. "I wasn't finished with that yet! What if I wanted to change the ending? What if I wanted them to have a happy ending for once?!"

"Oh come the hell on, we all know that would _never _happen!" she retorted and I huffed as I plopped back down on the couch.

"I'm not going," I said defiantly as I crossed my arms across my chest.

"Bella, come on. Please? It's been forever since we've done anything together, and I've spent MONTHS researching this place," Alice pleaded as she sat down next to me.

"Ali, I don't want to go. Where the hell are you both trying to drag me anyway?" I asked as I shook my head at her.

"Isle Esme. It's absolutely beautiful, and it's not one of those couples only resorts. Most of the guests are young and single," she said with a pleading expression.

"Oh God no, this isn't one of those "where you come to find love" things is it?" I asked as I rolled my eyes and made sarcastic air quotations.

"No, it's just a resort for young people that want to have _fun_," she chirped and smiled.

"I've never even heard of it," I huffed once again.

"It used to be a privately owned island by some wealthy couple. They decided to turn half of it into a resort a few years ago. The north and east sides of the island have little villas right on the beach. It's beautiful, Bells. There's even a little shopping area in the center of the island," she said with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Where is it though?" I asked as I waved off her description. I could really have cared less about tropical anything, shopping, beaches, or even private villas.

"It's off the coast of Brazil," Rose said as she finished zippering up a bag by the door.

"WHAT? We can't go there! We'll probably get Montezuma's Revenge from drinking the water and end up sick the whole time!" I screeched.

"Now _there's _the Bella I remember! By the way... it's in Mexico that you might get Montezuma's Revenge," Rosalie laughed and Alice snickered next to me.

"Face it, Bells...we're going. Now get up because we only have a half hour to get to the airport," she said as she dragged one of the bags out into the hallway.

"Why? Why are you both doing this to me?" I pleaded as I held my face in my hands.

"Because you need it, and after taking care of you for two years, we do too," Alice said gently as she tried to pull me from the couch.

"I hope that bed in that private _villa_ is comfortable," I muttered as I stomped behind her.

"It should be _divine_, but you won't be spending much time in it so don't get your hopes up," Rosalie said with a smirk as she tossed a bag strap over my shoulder.

"Yeah, we'll see about that," I said as I rolled my eyes and shut the door behind me. Alice locked it and together we dragged our bags down the hall to the elevator.

"Thank God we talked you out of that first dump you wanted to move into. I _so _would not be carrying these bags down six flights of stairs," Rose said as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms, waiting for the elevator.

"Hey, what do you need stairs for when you don't plan on ever leaving?" I retorted sarcastically.

"Oh, Bella my dear. You'll be singing a much different tune when we return," she replied with a wink.

"So have you decided what you want to do with the house yet?" Alice asked, successfully diverting my defiant stare at Rosalie.

"No," I sighed and looked at the ground. "I can't bring myself to sell it, yet I can't bare to live in it either."

"Bells, that house is gorgeous and you loved it. Don't let him take that from you. It was never his... remember that. He didn't do a damn thing to help you get that house," Alice said as she rubbed my arm comfortingly.

"I know, Ali, but there's just too many memories in that house, and not many of them are good. Hell it would probably take me the entire flight to Brazil to think of just one handful of good memories in that house," I said as I slumped against the wall of the elevator.

"So make new ones in it," she replied encouragingly and I quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, Ali...cause I want to remember days upon days of laying in a bed alone in that monstrosity of a house," I replied dryly.

"No one said you had to lay in that damn bed day after day, Bells. You took it upon yourself to stick to it like goddamn superglue," Rose cut in as she rolled her eyes and looked at her fingernails.

"Okay, I'll make a deal with you both right now," I said and they both looked at me curiously."If we stay away from the topic that I've holed myself up in a bed for two years, then I'll _try, _key word here _try_, not to spend the entire time at the resort in bed."

They looked at each other with matching grins and quickly looked back at me.

"Deal," they both said in unison as they nodded.

"How long are we staying there anyway?" I asked curiously.

"Four weeks," Rosalie said with a wide grin.

"Four weeks?! That's almost a damn month!" I wailed in disbelief.

"Honey, it's gonna take a lot longer than just a few days to break you out of your shell," she chuckled and I shook my head as I looked at the floor just as the elevator doors opened.

Four weeks... unfreaking real. Damn me and my big mouth for making that deal. Just shoot me now.

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**AN: So Bella's a bit cranky right now...but that will change soon...I promise. Thanks so much for reading. Reviews are better than holing yourself up in a crap hole apartment for two years! Leave one please, I love hearing what you guys think..thanks so much. ^_^ ~Jersey~**


	2. Airports Limos and Boat Rides

**AN: Special thanks to evenstar710 for previewing the first two chapters of this story for me. She's the shizz! If you all haven't checked out any of her works yet, hop on over to her profile and check out Crossing Destinies and The Forces that Break and Bind...freakishly amazing stories even though their just beginning! Much love to ya girlie! You keep me sane and away from that chocolate filled white rubber padded room day after day bwahahaha.**

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Disclaimer: Yeah...after 71 chapters of BTS...we all know it. I don't own these characters...SM does! I wish they just had one of those handy buttons that added the disclaimer for you...how sweet would that be?!

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Airports, Limos, and Boat Rides

BPOV

Getting to the airport and making our way to our departure gate was... nerve wrecking to say the least. It seemed like every damn person in the place had to stop and stare at the three of us, mostly me. I know what they were all thinking too. What is that girl doing with those two beautiful women? I finally just decided to keep my head down and ignore all of it as I followed behind Alice's rhinestone studded strappy heels and Rosalie's fire engine red stilettos. Honestly, who the hell wears high heels to an airport?!

It didn't help that I looked like a straight up bum compared to the two of them either. Alice's strapless summer dress and Rosalie's red tube top and black pleated shorts were worlds away from my plain black tank top and white Bermuda shorts...and flip flops. At least I got the last laugh when they realized we had to take our shoes off to go through the security checkpoint.

I almost had hope spring to life that I'd be able to return home to my bed when Alice freaked out over having to touch the dirty floor with her bare feet. Unfortunately the security guard took pity on her and placed paper towels on the floor for her and Rose to shuffle across on. Nice...wish they would have done that for me. Who knows how many different fungi are going to sprout up between my toes after walking barefoot across that floor. I guess they got the last laugh after all.

When we made it to our gate, I headed off to the bathroom and washed both my feet and flip flops in the sink with a generous amount of soap and scolding hot water. The looks that the women who were coming in and out of the restroom were giving me was making me edgy. Finally after about the twentieth stare and head shaking combo, I exploded.

"What?! Have you seen what travels through this airport?! I'm not about to lose my damn feet to flesh eating bacteria because I walked barefoot through the metal detectors!" I snapped at the woman who had unwittingly pushed me over the edge with her judgmental and highly offensive stare. I finished cleaning and drying my feet and shoes quickly and bolted back out to the waiting area of our gate.

"Was that you screaming in the bathroom?" Rosalie laughed as I plopped down in my seat.

"Nope... I don't know what you're talking about," I muttered as I looked away.

"Sure. We're not going to have to get you a wig and enter you in the assailant protection program or something are we?" she chuckled and I huffed as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Look, Rose. I didn't assault her any more than she assaulted me with her damn relentless staring," I muttered and slunk down further into my seat.

"Just as long as they don't haul you off the plane in handcuffs," she replied distantly as an article in the magazine she was reading caught her attention.

"Where's Ali?" I asked when she hadn't returned for almost a half an hour.

"Umm... perusing the gift shops I think. She wanted to get a few magazines and a snack," she replied as she flipped through a few pages of ads.

I looked at the screen behind the podium, noting our expected boarding time, and then quickly looked at the digital clock hanging from the middle of the terminal walkway.

"Rose, why the hell did we get here so early?! We have over an hour until our flight boards, and that's _if _it boards on time!" I cried out.

"Because you're supposed to arrive _at least _ninety minutes prior to your boarding time for flights. It's not my fault there wasn't really a long line at either the check in or security points," she replied, flipping through yet another few pages in her magazine.

"That's for _international_ flights. We have a fucking connection in Texas...that's _domestic_," I grumbled as I slunk further down in my chair. Typical Rosalie, she completely ignored me with a wave of her hand and left me sitting there to stew in my agitation.

_A freaking hour of sitting in this shifty eye infested hell hole...perfect!_

"Ewww, Bella, smell this one," she laughed as she thrust the magazine page in my face and hit me in the nose with the smelly ass paper.

"Rose..that smells like shit," I grumbled as I tried to wipe the stench off my skin unsuccessfully.

"I know right? Some people should really stick to their first career and keep their raunchy smells to themselves," she chuckled as she ripped the page from the book and tossed it on the seat in front of her.

She waved the magazine around for a minute while people gawked at her and I laughed as I shook my head. I don't know what she was trying to do, but a minute of waving a magazine that had held that smelly page since the day it was assembled, was _not_ going to get rid of the smell that still lingered on the remaining pages.

Alice came back a little while later and sat down across from me. Rosalie started laughing and pointed to the page she had torn out and told Alice to smell it, which she immediately did like a fool.

"Eeewww," she squealed as she launched the page away from her and pinched her nose, fanning the air in front of her.

Rosalie's laughter echoed through the area and numerous people turned to stare. Her normal laughter was beautiful and enchanting, almost hypnotic, but when she guffawed that way... I hate to say it, but she almost sounded like a man. Just the thought of it sent me into a fit of chuckles. At least Alice's laughter was always a tinkling sound, kind of like wind chimes. Regardless of how hard she laughed, it was always musical.

A half an hour later, they finally started calling rows to board the plane. As soon as we got on board, I grabbed two pillows and blankets from one of the overhead storage compartments and made myself as comfortable as I could get against the window after slamming the shade down. It felt like it took forever before the plane actually started moving. At some point during the flight, a stewardess dropped a container of foul smelling food on the pull down tray in front of me. The smell of it was nothing short of revolting, so I went to push it away. Apparently Alice made the mistake of thinking my hand reaching out towards it was in an attempt to eat it.

"Ew..Bella, no! Don't touch that garbage. I got us food from the terminal," she said as she pulled out a bag from Sbarro's that smelled a hell of a lot better than what was currently sitting in front of me.

"Here, I got you a pepperoni stromboli. You could use the extra calories," she said as she passed me the wrapped up delightful concoction of dough, cheese, and pepperoni.

"Thanks, Ali," I said sincerely. She smiled in return and handed Rose what looked to be a salad and I opened the shade to watch out the window as I ate.

"So, I was thinking that for our first day, we should just relax by the pool. There's two different pools on the resort side of the island, but this one right here is right next to our villa," she said as she thrust a brochure picture in front of me.

"Uh huh," I said unenthusiastically. I had to admit though, it did look absolutely beautiful.

"There's also a tiki bar, and a buffet center on the other side of the pool that's open until around two am. After that you have to call room service," she said as she flipped through the brochure. I zoned out after that and continued to stare out of the window.

At some point, I fell back asleep and only woke up to the jolt of the plane touching down on the runway. It scared the life out of me and I instinctively clutched myself to Alice who started laughing hysterically.

"Morning, Sunshine!" she chirped and I glared at her as I pried my fingers away from her arm.

"What time is it?" I asked groggily.

"Just after seven pm," she said cheerily.

"How the hell long have we been on this plane?" I asked in confusion.

"A little over six hours," she replied as she rolled her eyes at me.

"Bull. You two woke me up early in the morning," I argued.

"It was ten when we finally pried you out of that bed. I don't think that qualifies as early in the morning," Rosalie huffed and I looked at her incredulously.

"It couldn't have been," I said disbelievingly.

"It could have, and it was," she replied determinedly.

We finally pulled into our gate and the seatbelt sign was turned off. Like the idiot I am, I stood straight up and tried to stretch, but only managed to effectively bash my hands into the low ceiling above me.

"Damn it," I muttered as I shook my hands out and my two best friends in the world covered their mouths to attempt to hide their snickers.

"Shut up and move. I have to find a bathroom...ASAP," I said as I lightly pushed Alice into Rose. The two started giggling away as they stumbled into the walkway.

"You know, if you wouldn't have slept almost the entire flight you could have used one of the ones on the plane," Rosalie said dryly. I just rolled my eyes and grabbed my carry on bag, trying to book it for the exit. As luck would have it, I had to stand in line behind about forty damn people as I shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, waiting for them to move.

"Ahhh, I can't hold it any longer," I said painfully as I turned around and had to push my way through the never ending line of passengers to the back of the plane.

After numerous glares and obnoxious comments, none of course made by me, I finally made it to the bathroom and was able to relieve myself. I quickly washed my hands and fixed my pony tail and headed back out of the bathroom, only to have to stand behind what seemed like over a hundred people now.

By the time I got to the front of the plane, I did my best to smile at the stewardess as she thanked me for flying with them and wished me a nice stay. I think it came out more like a grimace though, but I'm sure she's used to that kind of reaction. I bet she wanted to smack more people in those few hours than I have in the last two years. Alice and Rosalie were full out laughing by the time I met up with them in the terminal.

"Honestly, Bella. I didn't think you'd have the nerve to push your way through that many people," Rosalie chuckled.

"Yeah well when nature calls..." I said as I shrugged.

"Oh come on, liven up a little," she said as she thread her arm through mine and pulled me towards the gate for our connecting flight. Thankfully there wasn't going to be a long layover, and by the time we got to the gate, we only had to wait about fifteen minutes before we could board.

"I'm gonna run and grab some snack food for us for this flight. We're in first class this time so the real food should be a lot better," Alice said and then hurried off as I scowled at her back.

"Ease up there my little chihuahua. Trust me, you don't want to sit in a coach seat for fourteen hours," Rosalie said as she stretched out all of her muscles while standing in front of me.

"Couldn't you guys have chosen someplace just a little closer? Like perhaps on the same continent?" I grumbled as I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

"Yeah, we could have, but who the hell wants to stay in Florida on vacation for a month? We would have chosen Mexico, but with all that drug war crap going on we decided it would be best to stay away from there," she said casually as she plopped down in front of me.

Alice came running back just as they were boarding first class passengers and almost crashed right into me.

"Holy hell, I thought I missed the flight! I heard them call last call for boarding of something but I didn't catch which flight," she said breathlessly.

"You're fine, Ali. They just started boarding our flight," I said as gripped her shoulders and made sure that she wasn't still about to topple over on her heels.

We once again boarded the plane after showing our tickets and passports and quickly made our way to our seats. I had to admit, it was nothing like the seats we had been sitting in on the previous flight, and I was starting to rethink my opinion on flying first class, not that I would ever say those words out loud to either of them.

Once we were settled, Alice passed me a book that she had bought for me and I thanked her as I tucked it in between myself and the side of the seat. Only two other passengers joined us in first class before they shut the cabin door, and they both appeared to be elderly business men, sitting in the seats all the way at the front.

"Alice, did you pack my iPod by chance?" I asked as I rifled through my carry on.

"Yeah, it's in there somewhere. So is your cell phone...speaking of which, when was the last time you talked to your parents?" she asked worriedly.

"Umm Friday," I answered, hoping she wouldn't catch my vague tone... which of course she did.

"Of what month, Bella? You had over thirty missed calls and voicemails on that thing this morning," she said as she pointed toward my bag.

"Hm... I dunno. It was cold out though," I remarked distantly as I continued to fish through the bag.

"Cold as in sweater and jeans, or cold as in your ass gets frostbite when you sit on the frozen leather before the car heats up?" Rosalie chuckled.

"Cold as in it would be warmer in my old sub-zero freezer. Ah ha! Gotcha!" I exclaimed as I finally found my iPod.

"Bells... you can't keep avoiding them forever like that," Alice said sadly and I turned to look at her.

"Alice, I just don't want to deal with them right now. Every time I talk to Renee she wants to know what went wrong with Jacob, and I don't have an answer to give her that I haven't given her a thousand times before. Every time I talk to Charlie, he wants to know what I did to make him leave. I don't want to hear it from either of them. It's been two years, they need to stop asking me about it. Why don't they fuckin' bug him for answers?" I ranted as I shoved the items I had taken out of my bag back into it.

"Tell them that then," Alice said quietly.

"I have! They won't fuckin' listen!" I wailed and the stewardess gave me a pointed look as she held a finger over her lips. I rolled my eyes and sank back into my seat.

"Alice, maybe it's a good thing that she's not speaking to them much right now. Face it, their marriage is warped, and it's probably the reason she's had such a hard time dealing with this," Rosalie said as she leaned into the aisle from her seat to be closer to Alice and I.

"Thank you...at least someone gets it," I muttered.

"Rose, just because their marriage isn't like your parents or mine doesn't mean that it's warped," Alice grumbled and Rosalie and I scoffed.

"Ali, Charlie and Renee are the epitome of what happens when best friends marry each other. They had a perfect friendship, and they ruined it with trying to force it to be something that it isn't," Rosalie said and I was taken aback.

I knew their marriage was a train wreck, that much was obvious just by growing up in that house. They constantly fought, often slept in separate rooms, and Lord knows there was more infidelity than fidelity within their marriage...all of which belonged to Renee. I think it was her mechanism of coping with Charlie's inability to show any type of real emotion or affection. No matter how many times I tried to explain to her that that was just who he was, that underneath that seemingly cold and distant exterior he really did care, it didn't make a lick of difference. She needed something more, and she found it through her various "secret" lovers over the years. I wasn't naïve enough to assume that my father wasn't aware of her sordid affairs, but we never spoke of it either.

I often wondered why he didn't find someone else on the side to fulfill his needs as well, but then after being with Jacob, I understood. It just wasn't in our nature, and I was more like my father in matters of the heart than I would ever be like my mother. I don't wear my heart on my sleeve as my mother always had, I kept it under lock and key faithfully, just as my father does. Maybe that's why he always assumes that I pushed Jacob away. He knows how much alike we really are, and he can't understand why I would give up when he had spent years, over two decades actually, accepting what Renee did and continued to do, while just trying to keep their marriage together.

Internally, I wanted to be furious about that. I wanted to be livid that he would wish for me to stay with someone who treated me that way, but I just couldn't. I couldn't be angry with him for that, not when he's spent the majority of his life living that way, and accepting it. It didn't matter how many times I told him that I didn't push Jacob away, my father couldn't comprehend it, because deep down he believed that there was no way Jacob would ever do to me what Renee had done to him. He believed that he was better than that, and no amount of arguing could ever make him believe that his best friend's son was _that _type of person.

It was in that thought that I found my father's underlying beliefs. He loved me and believed I deserved better than what he had lived through, and in his eyes, I would have been safe from ever feeling the way he does by being with the man that he had watched grow from just a baby.

In the wake of my most recent epiphany, I wanted to scream. I wanted to scream at Renee for ever having hurt Charlie that way. I wanted to scream at Charlie for believing a false ingrained image of a man who was no longer the boy he once knew over the spoken words of his own daughter. And I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs at Jacob for watching what Renee's affairs did to Charlie, and then turning right around and doing it to me. I wanted to scream at all of them to the point where I wouldn't have a voice left to scream at myself for having ever allowed him to keep coming back after that first time.

It would have been so much easier to have cut it off in the beginning when I could still say something as nonchalant as "Eh...it just didn't work out", and have it be accepted by everyone around us, but for some stupid reason I took him back and made another attempt at making it work. And then another, and another, and another, and somewhere along the line I went from being able to say something like it just didn't work out and really meaning it, to actually being hurt by his actions. If only I could pinpoint that exact moment and stop time right before it and tell Jacob that I was done, this could have all been different.

"Bella?" Alice called, and I barely heard it over my inner thoughts and my iPod combined. I pulled my headphones out and looked at her.

"Do you mind if I shut the light off?" she asked as she pointed above us. I shook my head to her and she flicked it off.

"Try and get some sleep, okay?" she said quietly as she reclined her seat back. I nodded to her and reclined my own seat.

"Good night, Ali," I said quietly.

"G'nite, Bells," she mumbled in reply.

I looked over and saw that Rosalie was already passed out, and the only lights in the cabin were coming from the walkway on the floor. I looked toward the window and noticed that it was pitch black outside, and I began wondering how long I had been lost in my thoughts. The little markings on Alice's watch were glowing so I leaned over and took a quick peek at it. I was shocked to see that it was already after eleven at night. I had been lost in my own little world for almost three hours. I laid my head down on my pillow and unfolded my blanket, tossing it over me as I shifted in the seat to get more comfortable. As always, sleep found me quickly, and just as expected, it was anything but actually restful.

Alice woke me up the following morning and passed me a warm moist towel. The intense sunshine coming in the window was positively blinding and I fumbled trying to find the top of the shade to slam it down. Sunshine and sleepy eyes just don't mix...ever. I blotted my face with the towel, attempting to wake myself up further and then passed it back to Alice who handed it off to the stewardess.

"Where's Rosalie?" I mumbled as I looked at her empty seat after returning the back of mine into an upright position.

"In the bathroom, you can have it next. I already went," she said as she passed me a bag of toiletries.

"Okay," I mumbled as I yawned and tried to stretch my stiff limbs. Rosalie came out a few minutes later and I stumbled my way into the bathroom.

I almost laughed at the sight of my rat's nest hair before pulling the hair tie out of the pony tail and brushing the knots out of it. The pony tail wasn't working for me anymore so I pulled it into a messy bun and proceeded to wash my face and brush my teeth. I even took the liberty of putting on additional deodorant after washing up as best I could in the bathroom that was the size of my shower stall. When I was finished, I stumbled back out into the cabin and plopped back into my seat.

"How much longer?" I asked as I buckled myself back in.

"A little over two hours. The stewardess asked what you wanted for breakfast while you were in the bathroom, and I asked her for eggs, bacon, a biscuit and orange juice. Is that okay?" she asked and I nodded.

"What happened to dinner last night? I'm starving," I said as my stomach growled.

"The stewardess put the meal in front of you and I kept nudging you and calling your name but you never responded. I even waved a hand in front of your face, but you were completely out of it. She finally took it away after an hour. Sorry," she said as she grimaced.

"It's okay. I know how I get when I think too hard," I chuckled and she shrugged and nodded. She was aware of it as well, there really was no need for me to explain it to her.

After devouring the food that the stewardess brought, I decided to try reading the book that Ali had bought me. I only got about forty pages in before I gave up. I just couldn't get into it. It was about these weird little alien things inhabiting host bodies, and they had weird names like "Fords Deep Waters" and "Wanderer". I figured if I got _really _bored at some point during the next four weeks, I'd give it another try. Minutes later, the Captain came on the overhead and announced that we were beginning our descent for landing. Thirty minutes later, they opened the cabin door and we filed out of the plane and into the awaiting terminal.

Alice and Rosalie quickly pulled me towards the baggage claim, and then after retrieving our bags, we headed towards customs. I've never been so confused in all my life as I was while we were trying to figure out what line we were supposed to be on and if we were even in the right area. We just followed the rest of the people from our flight, hoping that they were leading us in the right direction, and I was almost regretting that decision before we finally made it to a counter and the attendant notified us that we were in the right spot. Ten minutes later, we were walking out of the airport doors.

There was a man leaning against a limo, holding a sign that said A. Brandon on it when we got out there and I looked at Alice in disbelief.

"You're kidding me right?" I said as I quirked an eyebrow at her and pointed to the guy with the sign.

"It was either a limo or a public bus, Bella, and I'm not sittin' on some filthy bus for a few hours," she grumbled before heading over to the man with the sign.

"Cause a public bus is worse than a public plane right?" I muttered sarcastically under my breath.

"Bells...you're lucky I talked her out of a private jet. She really wanted to go all out," Rosalie said gently and I sighed as we walked toward Alice.

The man with the sign, who I later learned his name is Carlos, opened the door for us before setting our bags in the trunk. Inside the limo was a bucket of ice with a bottle of champagne and three flutes. Rosalie quickly popped the cork and poured three glasses, and handed one to both Alice and I.

"To white sand, blue water, and a new beginning for Bella," she said as a toast. I smiled tightly and clinked my glass with theirs before chugging the bubbly liquid down.

"Slow down there champ. We don't want you getting seasick or anything," she chuckled and I handed her back the glass. She refilled it and passed it to me with a warning look.

"Sip don't chug," she said before relinquishing her hold on the glass.

"Alright, alright," I said in compliance.

"Here, have some fruit and crackers so it doesn't all go to your head," Alice offered as she passed me the platter.

"Thanks," I replied sincerely.

Alice and Rosalie chattered away for the entire ride, and I sipped at my champagne and nibbled on the snacks for a while before they cut me off and I was left with nothing to do but look out the window again. I was never a fashion buff or anything even close, so I felt no desire to join in on their conversation. Once again, I was left to just the sights out of the window and my ever lasting depressing thoughts.

Why did I have to be the one that was incapable of being loved by anyone aside from my two friends? I love them to death, they're more like my sisters than they are friends, but sometimes I just wish there was something more. You hear all the time about people who meet, fall in love, have families, etcetera, etcetera, but why did we all have to be left out of that blissful world.

Oddly enough, my two highly gorgeous friends had been left out of that loop as well. I could understand how someone like myself might have been overlooked, but surely someone should have snagged up those two by now. I mean come on, they're drop dead gorgeous, successful, funny, sweet... when Rosalie wants to be anyway, caring... why couldn't they find the ones they were meant to be with? Was it my luck that was wearing off on them? God I hoped not.

Unfortunately, here we sit, twenty four and twenty five years old, me being the baby of the bunch, no significant others or even possibilities for significant others. Instead we shared something entirely different, successful careers, homes... which I was currently avoiding my own, and an intense longing for someone to share our lives with. Alice has repeatedly said that she'll know who the right person for her is as soon as she sees him. Rosalie claims that she's quite happy being alone and being able to do whatever, whenever she wants to. I'm not so sure about that though. I've seen the look she gets from time to time when she sees mothers out with their children. Well I _had_ seen them at least, when I was still walking among the living outside of my hole in the wall.

Maybe I was meant to live my life alone. Maybe I was never meant to be with Jacob, and that's why it was such a crappy relationship. We effectively destroyed the amazing friendship that we used to have by dating...even worse by living together. Our fathers pushed us together during our senior year of high school, and even though I knew Jacob had once had feelings for me that transcended simple friendship, his relentless pleas for me to date him had given him away, I hadn't felt the same. It actually took me quite a bit of time, over two years, to find it within me to be able to say I love you to him. I'm not even sure when I actually began to mean it when I said the words.

It was fairly safe to say at this point that I was never truly in love with him. I may have loved him in some capacity, but I was never _in_ love with him. So why did it hurt so damn bad when he walked out all those times? Why did it hurt so bad when I thought about him living with someone else, and sharing all of his time with someone else? I could never understand that, and yet I've spent an entire two years in my bed, contemplating the answers to those very questions. Even now with the realization that my feelings hadn't ever been as deep as I had once assumed they were, I still didn't get it.

Was it just because I was losing my once best friend? Was it because before we had started dating, he was the only person who ever encouraged me to follow my heart and go after my dreams of being a writer even though that stopped as soon as we started dating? Could it have been just because I trusted him more than almost any other person in the world, aside from Alice and Rosalie of course, or was it just because if someone who was once that close to me could walk away so heartlessly, then anyone else could as well? Was I really hurt by him, or was I just afraid that if I ever found someone I _truly_ loved and they walked away, that I wouldn't be able to handle it? All of these thoughts were enough to drive me completely insane.

"Come on, Bella. We're here," Alice said quietly as she tapped me on the shoulder. I shook my head slightly to clear my thoughts and stepped out of the limo.

Carlos went around to the back of the limo and retrieved our bags, handing them off to someone else who placed them at the end of the dock.

"Well, ladies. It has been a pleasure, I do hope to see you on your return trip," he said with a thick accent and winked at us. I blushed inexplicably as Rosalie and Alice giggled away and said their goodbyes and waved to him as he drove off.

"Oh my God, Bella...he was totally eyeing you up!" Alice squealed excitedly.

"Ali, you need your eyes checked girlie, he was winking at the two of you. I didn't even say one word to him the entire time," I retorted.

"Whatever, Bells...he was totally checking you out in the rear view mirror," Rosalie laughed.

"More like keeping an eye on me to make sure I didn't launch myself out the door while the limo was still moving," I replied dryly as I walked toward the pier in front of us.

"Do you realize that you've said more in the last few hours than you have in the last two years?" Rose asked as she put an arm around me and strolled with me to the end of the pier in front of our bags.

"Kinda figured as much," I responded distantly.

"It'll be alright, Bella. Things work themselves out in their own time," Alice said as she placed her head against my shoulder.

"So.... what do we do now? Swim?" I chuckled and Alice slapped my arm playfully.

"No, silly. We wait for the boat from the resort to show up...and I think that's it right out there," she said as she pointed to a boat that was speeding its way towards the docks. As the boat neared us, my eyes practically bugged out of my head.

"Dear Lord...that guy is HUGE!" I barked out with a laugh and they quickly looked towards him.

"Holy hell! I'd take a ride on that bologna pony any day," Rosalie said as she fanned herself. I couldn't help it, I laughed hysterically for the first time in forever. I laughed so hard I had to wipe the tears that had streamed down my face as the boat pulled up right against the dock.

"Hello, beautiful ladies!" the man boomed with a wide grin as he hopped off the boat and tied it to the dock.

"Hello yourself, handsome," Rosalie purred and I gasped as I slapped her arm. The guy chuckled and strolled towards us with his hand stretched out in front of him.

"Name's Emmett, anything I can do for you gorgeous ladies would be my pleasure," he said as he gently held Rosalie's hand. I didn't miss how he never removed his eyes from hers...unlike most men that wouldn't be able to remove their eyes from her busty twins.

"I'm Rosalie, this is Bella, and that's Alice," Rosalie said with a genuine smile.

_Holy hell! She never smiles like that at any guy!_

"Bella," he said as he took my hand, "The name suits you perfectly," he said as he grinned and I blushed like a crazy person and looked at the wooden planks beneath my feet that were somehow oh so interesting now.

"Alice, it's a pleasure," he said as he took her hand.

"Likewise," she chirped happily.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road. If you all will step right over here, I'll help you on board," he said with a smile that caused cute little dimples to appear on his cheeks.

"Aye aye, Cap'n," Rosalie said quickly, saluting him as she stepped towards him. He lifted her easily and placed her in the boat. I about died when she slid the front of her body down his as she stepped away from him.

"Come on, Bella," he said with an inviting smile. I stepped forward and he picked me up bridal style. I gasped and clutched his shoulders with a panicked expression.

"Care to go for a swim?" he asked with a mischievous grin. I shook my head frantically and he laughed.

"Lighten up little one! We're gonna have loads of fun together," he boomed through his laughter as he placed me in the boat.

_Well shit, I guess I'm completely transparent these days._

"I think I'm in love," Rose whispered to me as I sat down next to her and I looked at her incredulously.

"What? We've been here all of five minutes! He's probably like that with all the girls!" I whisper yelled as Alice squealed as he tossed her around playfully before placing her down on her feet inside the boat.

"We'll see about that," Rose said as she winked at me.

"Hey, Emmett? Are you like this with all the ladies? I'd be afraid that someone one day would make a complaint," Rosalie said with a teasing grin.

"Nah, nowhere even close, beautiful. There's just something about you three," he said with a grin and a wink at Rose.

"I bet you say that to all the ladies right before you bed them," I muttered without thinking and then clapped my hand over my mouth and looked at him with wide, apologetic eyes.

"Awww, have a little faith, Bella. We're not all heartless womanizers," he said as he held a hand over his heart.

"Sorry, I really didn't mean for that to come out," I said apologetically.

"Yeah she suffers from occasional bouts of word vomit. Pay no attention to it, we're actually happy to hear it. It's been two years since she's had a case of it," Rose said as she smiled with pride and bumped my shoulder.

"Ahh...little one, you and I are going to get along well," he chuckled as he tossed our bags into the boat. I chuckled and shook my head as I blushed once again.

Emmett climbed into the boat and started the engine and I clutched the seat in a death grip.

_What's in this thing? Freaking jet engines? _

"So have any of you thought about what you'd like to do while staying on the island?" he asked conversationally as he pulled the boat away from the dock.

"I'd love to learn how to drive a boat," Rose said with a seductive smile.

"Well come on up here then, beautiful," he grinned back and patted the space in between his legs on the seat that he was sitting on top of rather than in. She quickly sauntered her way up there and nestled herself into that nook and giggled innocently.

"What do I do?" she said as she turned her head to look at him.

"Just steer it like a car, I'll take care of the speed for you," he said as he pushed the throttle forward and I almost toppled into Alice.

Rosalie squealed happily and laughed heartily as the wind blew in her hair. Emmett's laughter boomed over the sound of the wind as he took in my disgraceful tumble and Alice wrapped her arms around me as she giggled.

"So, anything you three wanna do, just let me know! We have snorkeling and scuba diving tours, jet skiing, water skiing, wake boarding, para sailing, wind surfing, kayaking, pretty much anything you can think to do out on the water!" Emmett boomed over the sound of the wind, engines, and waves.

"How high up do the para sails go?!" Alice yelled back.

"About six hundred feet! It's amazing...you should try it!" he boomed back.

"Do you have to go alone?!" she hollered back and he shook his head.

"No! We can send up to three at a time!" he boomed back once again.

"Bella, we totally have to do that!" she squealed right in my ear and I slapped my hand over it to protect my eardrum from bursting.

"So what would you like to do, Bella?!" he boomed at me with a wide grin.

"SLEEP!" I hollered back.

"Shit, you sound like my brother!" he boomed as he laughed.

"He fell prey to the womanizers as well?!" I shot back sarcastically and he roared with laughter.

"Nah! He doesn't swing that way! At least I don't think he does!" he boomed through his laughter.

"What does that mean?!" I yelled back, confused.

"He's never dated anyone! We don't know why! He has women practically throwing themselves at him but he just walks away!" he yelled back with a shrug. Weird. Maybe he does swing the other way and he just doesn't want them to know.

"So do you live on the island?!" Alice hollered.

"My brother does! I'm only here during the summers! Our cousin comes here during the summer too!" he yelled back to her as he slowed the boat down.

"Where do you usually live?" she asked in a slightly lower tone than before.

"I actually live in Washington. My cousin lives in Oregon, right outside of Portland," he replied.

"NO WAY!" Rosalie cried out. "We live in Washington too! Seattle!" she laughed with a surprised expression.

"No shit? I live right outside of Seattle and I work in Seattle," he said with a wide grin.

"How do you manage to get entire summers off?" I asked curiously.

"It's easy... I own my own company, and as boss I can do what I want," he chuckled.

"What kind of company?" Alice asked quickly.

"Construction. Maybe you've heard of it since your from the area...Cullen Construction?" he said with pride.

"No freaking way!" Alice chirped and bounced in her seat. "I just put in an application for your company to build my new studio!" Emmett eyed her for just a minute with a befuddled expression and stopped the boat.

"This is unreal. You're Mary Brandon, aren't you? Owner and creator of Brand A Designs?" he asked as he shook his head disbelievingly. Alice nodded exuberantly.

"You've heard of it?" she asked in shock.

"Heard of it? Hell half of our shops are filled with your clothing and accessories! They're a _huge_ hit with the tourists here, and all of our staff swim wear comes from your line," he laughed.

"That's friggin' amazing!" she chirped and then laughed excitedly.

"Okay, so you're Mary Alice Brandon and you're a fashion designer. What is it that the two of you do?" Emmett asked curiously.

"I restore classic, vintage, and muscle cars and sell them, and Miss Bella Swan over there is a five time best-selling author," Rosalie replied with a smug grin.

"I have to ask... what is your last name?" he asked as he looked at Rose.

"Hale," she replied with a grin.

"You are a damn automotive _goddess_!" he boomed as his hands flew into the air. "I've seen the articles time and time again about an R. Hale, but I _never _expected it to be someone as insanely beautiful as you. Hell I'll be the first to admit that I really thought it was a dude," he said as he blushed, and for the first time in my life that I can recall, Rosalie didn't smack someone that assumed she was a man because of what she does for a living. She just smiled smugly.

"I keep my photos out of the media, and never allow them to print my first name. Most of the customers that come to the shop think I'm just a sales girl or a clerk," she said as she laughed and Emmett joined in.

"I can see now why you choose to do that," he said as he winked at her.

I was seriously considering throwing myself overboard at that moment. Here were my two best friends, who were apparently known damn near world wide for being incredibly successful in their chosen careers, and here I was, a damn plain nobody that didn't even use my real name when publishing my writing, and I didn't allow a photo to be put in the books as some authors did either. Just let this damn ocean swallow me whole...please?

"So five time best-seller, huh?" he asked. I bit my lip and nodded as I avoided his gaze.

"Why so hum drum about it? You should be shouting it from the rooftops," he said with a grin and I shook my head as I bit down harder on my lip, willing a wave of water to wash me right off the boat.

"Come on, little one," he said as he took my hand and pulled me from my seat.

"How do I get the title of little one when Alice clearly earns that title?" I huffed indignantly and Alice scoffed.

"Because I learned a long time ago to never get on the bad side of a woman wearing pointy shoes. Those things are lethal," he laughed and I rolled my eyes.

"So flip flops are safe footwear for that?" I asked with a smirk.

"Hey, at least they won't leave a scar," he chuckled and winked at me.

"Okay, we're getting way off track here. Just shout it out, it's easy. Being a best selling author is something you should be damned proud of," he said seriously and I shook my head and tried desperately to sit back down.

"Bellllaaaaa, we're never gonna make it to the dock if you don't shout it out. Come on, I'll even shout it with you," he offered as he pulled me back toward him again.

"Just like this, Bells," he said with a grin before taking in a huge deep breath.

"I'M A FIVE TIME BEST-SELLING AUTHOR!!" he boomed and Alice and Rosalie laughed hysterically.

"Let's hear it little one," he said with a grin. I laughed and took in a breath at the same time he did, fully expecting him to yell it with me.

"I'M A FIVE TIME BEST-SELLING AUTHOR!!" I belted out to the sky, and then blushed like crazy and smacked his arm when I realized that he never made a peep. He laughed hysterically and then looked at me.

"Feels good doesn't it?" he asked with a smug grin. I laughed and shrugged my shoulders and tried to sit.

"Nah ah, not 'til you admit that it felt good," he chuckled and pulled me back toward him once more.

"Okay, I admit it. It felt good," I chuckled.

"Atta girl," he said as he picked me up in what I could only describe as a bear hug and I laughed heartily as he set me back down.

"Alright, ladies. Enough horsin' around. It's time to have some real fun," he said as he grinned and took his seat and punched the throttle forward. He caught Rose before she damn near toppled backwards, but unfortunately I crashed right back into a hysterically laughing Alice.

Forget seasickness...I'm gonna have whiplash and amnesia by the time we make it to shore!

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**AN: Reviews are better than boat rides with a delicious Emmett in board shorts and a tight tee..mmm...okay so maybe not..BUT LEAVE ONE ANYWAY! Thanks! ~Jersey~**


	3. A Suite Surprise

**AN: I'm happy to hear that you guys are enjoying this story so far. Someone asked about what my posting schedule will be like with this story..so here's my answer. I'm going to try and post on this story as frequently as possible, but until BTS is finished...it will remain my first priority. You can expect one update for this story per week at the very least until then. **

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Disclaimer: Yeah we know it. SM owns the characters, but I own the resort..bwahahaha.

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A Suite Surprise

BPOV

Emmett finally got us to shore, in one piece thankfully, and helped us out of the boat before tossing our bags on the dock. One of the resort employees met us at the end of the dock with a dolly and took our bags to the main lobby for us.

"Well ladies, this is it for me. It was a pleasure meeting you, and I hope to see you around during your stay," Emmett said as he hugged us all goodbye.

"Kelly here is gonna show you the way up to the lobby. If you're ever feeling adventurous, come find me at the activities shack. Enjoy yourselves while you're here, especially you little one," he said as he mussed up my hair and I glared playfully at him.

"I meant what I said, Bella...we're not all heartless. Let him go, he didn't deserve you," he said with a wink and I smiled sadly and nodded to him.

"Thanks, Emmett," I said sincerely and hugged him once more.

"See you ladies around...hopefully," he chuckled as he hopped off the end of the dock and made his way up the beach.

"Bye, Emmett!" we all called out and then laughed as we waved. He waved and winked back at us in return.

"Alice...you are the shiznit!" Rosalie squealed and launched herself at the little pixie. I laughed once again and followed behind Kelly who was smiling kindly at us.

"So I see you three had a fun ride with the big bear," she snickered and we all nodded.

"Em's great. Their whole family is great. Their Aunt and Uncle own this resort, as well as the island itself," she said as she smiled and walked backwards.

"Is he like that with all the women around here?" Alice laughed.

"Em? Noooo. Emmett, his brother, and his cousin are about the best guys you can ever find," she said as she looked down the shore towards him. I could almost feel Rosalie next to me, gearing up to smack her so I grabbed a hold of her arm.

"I will warn you though, there are a few running around here that you should watch out for. Mainly Mike, Tyler, and Eric. Those three are nothing but trouble. The rest are pretty harmless," she said with a scowl. Apparently someone other than me has been torched in the past.

"So you've got a thing for Emmett, huh?" Rosalie asked, barely keeping the chill out of her tone.

"Who me? Don't get me wrong, Em's great to look at, but I'm happily married," she said with a wide grin as she held up her left hand and waved her fingers around.

"So what was with the look you gave him a minute ago?" Rose asked suspiciously.

"Ahhh... that wasn't what you thought it was. Em and I are good friends, but it ends there. Emmett....," she trailed off with a sigh and a troubled expression.

"Emmett's been burned in the past, and it hurts me to know that someone like him had to go through what he did. I'm sorry, but I really shouldn't be telling you all any of his business. Please forget that I said anything," she said with a pleading expression and Rosalie's icy features melted quickly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it," she muttered quickly and I about had a heart attack right there. She _never _apologizes...to anyone.

"It's quite alright. It was good to see him like that. He seemed quite smitten with you," Kelly chuckled and Rosalie blushed.

_She freaking blushed! I swear I'm in some parallel dimension!_

"Okay, ladies," Kelly said as she stopped abruptly and turned towards us. "Tyler is working the front desk today. Please ignore anything he says, and remember what I said about him being trouble. I'd hate for any of the three of you to get wrapped up in their scandalous schemes," she said with a wince and we nodded.

"If there's anything we can do to make your stay more enjoyable, please don't hesitate to ask," she said graciously as she led the way into the main lobby.

I swear if the villas looked anywhere near as beautiful as the lobby, I was going to die and go straight to heaven. The floor was natural granite in earthy tones, and white couches were placed in different areas around the open lobby floor. The main desk was crafted out of a light driftwood and beautiful artwork adorned various spots on the few walls that surrounded the wide openings. There were even potted palm trees and tropical plants placed throughout the lobby.

"Good afternoon, ladies. How can I be of _service_ for you today?" a male voice beckoned from the front desk. The way he emphasized the word service made a chill run down my spine.

"Hi, we have reservations booked under last name Brandon," Alice said hesitantly as she approached the front desk.

"Yes, I have you right here. You booked the three bedroom villa suite on the north shore, is that correct?" he replied with a grin and a wink.

"Uhhh...yeah," Alice said as she cringed slightly.

"Alrighty then, here are your keys and cards for towels at either the pool hut or the beach hut. You must turn in your towel to get a fresh one, and you can exchange them as frequently as you wish. May I offer you a spa package? We offer a vast array of packages. Perhaps a _sensual_ massage to start off your vacation?" he asked as he grinned in what I'm assuming was supposed to be a seductive way based on the way he drawled the word sensual. Alice grimaced and shook her head, which was a first. She was never one to turn down a day at the spa. Even Rosalie backed away from the counter slightly.

"Crowley! Mind yourself and keep away from the guests," a man barked in an insanely attractive voice as he passed by. I didn't see much of him aside from a mop of truly unruly bronze hair atop his head as he kept walking through the lobby and toward the beach.

"Yes, sir," Tyler yelped and then grumbled under his breath before looking up at us with a sheepish grin.

"Is there anything else I can do for you ladies?" he asked quickly, and I almost wanted to laugh at how nervous he seemed at the moment. We shook our heads and Alice bravely reached across the counter to pick up the envelope with our keys and cards and hurriedly withdrew her hand.

"There's a booklet in your villa that lists all of our accommodations, services, and activities, as well as restaurants in town. There is someone here at the front desk twenty four hours a day should you need _anything_," he said with a wicked grin and we nodded silently to him.

"Thank you," Alice said warily as he stared at her and Rosalie creepily. She spun around and almost rammed right into me as she tried to bolt away from his ogling.

"Let's go," she huffed and Rosalie and I took off after her.

"_God_ , he was creepy," Rose said as she shuddered.

"What was with the way he was staring at you two? He looked about ready to pounce over that desk and maul you," I chuckled lightly.

"That's not funny, Bella. He was staring at you like that too, ya know," Alice grumbled as we turned the corner on the walkway toward our villa.

"No he wasn't," I scoffed.

"Yeah okay, Bells. Maybe you were too busy ogling a head of bronze hair when he was practically molesting you with his eyes," Rosalie snickered as she pushed my shoulder lightly.

"What?" I asked stupidly as I blushed.

"You were totally trying to check out that guy that walked by when Tyler gave you the ol' up and down," she chuckled as she pointed at me.

"I was not," I muttered, even though I think I actually might have been. There was just something about that voice that made me desperately want to see the face that went with it.

"Whatever you say, Bells. He was pretty hot, but he doesn't hold a candle to Emmett," Rosalie said with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Good God, woman. You've known him for all of what? An hour? Maybe two? And you've become a complete sap!" I cried out incredulously.

"Did you even take a single look at him? He's utterly perfect, and you _know_ me..._no_ man is perfect in my eyes," she argued back as she rolled her eyes and pointed in the direction that he had walked off in.

"Awww...Rosie's in loooove," I crooned sarcastically and then snorted.

"Any time you two are ready...," Alice called out to us and we both looked toward where her voice had come from.

"Alice...I thought this was supposed to be a hut...not a _house_," I muttered as I gaped in awe at our home for the next few weeks.

"It's a _villa_, Bella," she chirped as she smiled and gazed at it.

"This doesn't look anything like that picture you showed me," I said as I stared at the house. I don't care what she called it, this was a _house_, not a _villa_.

The walkway planks led off toward the _house_ and ended at a little set of steps. It was white and had a small porch with four chairs, two on either side of the door, with a little end table between them. There was a potted palm tree on either side of the porch, and deck boxes with cascading flowers hanging off the rail. The front of the villa had two little windows with slate blue shudders framing it behind the chairs. It was adorable.

"Maybe they updated them since the brochure was published," she suggested lightly with a shrug.

"Come on...I wanna see the inside," Rosalie said excitedly as she pulled us behind her. Alice fished a key out of the envelope and quickly opened the door. I gasped, Alice squealed, and Rosalie laughed euphorically as we took in the inside of the villa.

"This is _amazing_!" Alice sang as she twirled around in what I was assuming was a living room.

There was a white couch with blue stripes along the wall, with two blue recliner chairs angled into the room on either side. There was a huge painting behind the couch of a beach dune leading out to crashing blue waves, and beautiful wall sconces on either side of it.

The opposite wall had an enormous flat screen TV mounted on it with a little glass shelf under it holding some kind of control box. Under it was an entertainment cabinet that had candles and shells spread out across the surface. There were towering speakers on either side of the cabinet too. Rosalie quickly went to open the cabinet to see what was inside as I followed Alice toward the back of the _house_.

"Good God. This entertainment system is huge!" Rosalie squealed and we looked toward her.

"Don't let me touch it...I'll probably break the damn thing," I muttered.

"Good idea," Alice snickered and I smacked her playfully.

We took a look in all the bedrooms, and noted that they were all pretty much the same, with the exception of two of them being connected through a shared bathroom. The third room had it's own bathroom. The rooms had light blue walls, pure white bedding that looked positively heavenly, sliding glass doors that led out to a small little balcony type sitting area, and beach themed art prints on the walls. There was a pocket closet in each room, and a dresser with a TV across from each bed.

Both bathrooms had a gorgeous granite slab and glass block walk in shower with about six different shower heads along the walls, and a skylight above it. There was a scallop shaped sink set in a granite counter top and the cabinets were stocked with fresh fluffy towels. Tucked into an alcove was a jacuzzi tub with three steps leading up to it, just big enough to fit two people comfortably.

"What's that thing?" I asked pointing to a stainless steel fixture sticking out of the wall above the main shower head.

"It's a waterfall fixture. The water flows over it to create a kind of waterfall for you to stand under," Alice said in a tone that clearly said "duh".

"Cool," was my dumb reply.

"Oh my God, you guys _have _to check this out!" Rosalie screeched excitedly and pulled us out of the bathroom and towards the back of the house.

We walked through a medium sized kitchen with a small table and out of a sliding glass door, stepping onto a fairly decent sized deck. There was a table with an umbrella and six chairs around it, and on the other side of the deck was an inset hot tub with potted plants and palms along the back side, shielding it from view from people walking by on the walkway.

"Alice...you've totally outdone yourself this time," Rosalie swooned as she hugged the little pixie.

"Umm...Rose, I think someone got something wrong here," she said with a worried expression.

"What do you mean?" she asked as she pulled back.

"The villa I booked wasn't supposed to have a hot tub, or a deck. Come to think of it, I don't even think we're on the right side of the pool and bar, and we're further away from it than I had thought we would be," she said distantly as she looked around.

"Didn't you book the suite?" Rose asked with a confused look.

"What? No... I didn't. I didn't even bother to look at them because I knew Bella would strangle me," she said as she waved in my direction. I snorted and chuckled under my breath but sobered up quickly when they shot me a look.

"But when Tyler asked if you booked the suite you said yeah," I said quickly, trying to calm their disapproving looks.

"Did I? Christ, I wasn't even paying attention to what he was saying. I just wanted him to hand me the damn keys so we could get out of there," she muttered as she shook her head.

"There's my beautiful ladies!" someone bellowed and we spun towards them. Emmett was grinning widely and waving at us. We laughed and waved for him to come in.

"Hey, Emmett...I think there's been a mix up. We booked a three bedroom villa and somehow ended up in this," Alice said as she waved her arms around at the area we were standing in when he walked through the sliding glass door. He chuckled and shook his head.

"No mix up, I changed it quickly when I got to the activities shack," he grinned proudly and we all looked at each other with shocked expressions.

"Look...," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I just want you guys to be able to relax and enjoy yourselves. The villas are nice, but they're nowhere near as relaxing as the suites. Please accept it, it's the least I can do for the three of you. It's been forever since I've felt as light and free as I did this afternoon," he said with a abashed smile.

"Emmett..." Alice started with an uncomfortable glance towards me.

"Please, just enjoy it... for me," he pleaded as he glanced between the three of us.

"Oh for shit's sake you two! If you want to stay in a villa then go ahead, but I'm sittin' my ass right here. Emmett, it's lovely, thank you," Rosalie said quickly and hugged Emmett as Alice and I stared at each other awkwardly.

"It's my pleasure," he chuckled and hugged her back. Alice lifted her shoulders at me and held her hands palm up, silently asking me what I wanted to do.

"I'm not about to offend the man, Alice. The least I can do is attempt to accept this at least somewhat gracefully," I chuckled and turned towards him. "Really, you didn't have to, but thank you, Emmett."

"YES! THANK YOU EMMETT!!" she squealed and launched herself at him. He laughed boisterously as he caught her mid-air.

"It's my pleasure, really," he chuckled as he put her down.

"Alright, I'll let you ladies get settled in. There's a luau down on the beach in front of the tiki bar starting at sunset. They're a blast, you guys should really come," he offered as we walked with him through the house.

"We'll be there," Rosalie assured him and I started formulating escape plans in my head.

"Oh, before I forget to mention it, the TV has satellite radio, and there's speakers outside connected to it. Just hit this button right here to turn them on," he said as he grabbed the remote.

"Thanks again, Emmett," Rosalie said with a gracious smile. He smiled and nodded as he handed her the remote and turned to leave.

"I'll see you ladies later! Don't forget your hula skirts!" he laughed as he trotted down the steps. We all waved to him before heading back inside to unpack.

I picked up my bag and headed toward the bedrooms. Alice and Rosalie took the two conjoined rooms, and I took the room across the hall from them. It suited me just fine, at least if they decided to have some "fun" I wouldn't have to be right on the other side of the wall. And cue the cringe.

I quickly unpacked my suitcase, and grumbled under my breath the whole time at what they packed for me. I don't think there was a single article of my own clothing in the bag. The whole damn thing was filled with sun dresses, fashionable clothing, bikinis...yay!... not!, and teeny tiny pairs of underwear. Geez, they could have at least packed something that would cover my ass! I almost laughed out loud when I spotted a single pair of dark blue lacy boyshorts.

_Well at least they packed one pair of somewhat decent underwear..._

I put all of the clothes away in the closet and dresser and then flopped onto the bed. It felt like heaven, and all I wanted to do was wrap myself in the fluffy down comforter and fall asleep. I had almost dozed off when my door swung open and Rosalie huffed angrily.

"Oh no you don't! In the shower!" she huffed as she pulled me from the bed.

"No, you guys go and have fun... I'm exhausted Rose," I whined and tried to turn back toward the bed.

"Come on, Bells. Emmett's expecting us to be there. All of us," she pleaded and I sighed as I nodded and shuffled towards the bathroom. I don't know what it was, but I just couldn't bear the thought of disappointing him after all he's done for us.

"We'll leave an outfit for you on the bed," she called after me. I smiled tightly and nodded to her as I shut the bathroom door.

I started up the shower, and felt like an idiot as I tried to figure out the controls for the stupid thing. By the time I got just the regular shower head going, I had already been blasted by five different ones. Stupid high tech showers. I went to reach for the shampoo and realized that I didn't have any. There were the little complimentary ones, but they always make my hair frizzy and completely unmanageable. I stupidly stood there in the shower contemplating what to do and then huffed as I realized that I didn't want to trek water all throughout the room.

"ROSE! ALICE!!" I hollered as loud as I could.

"Bella?! What is it?!" Alice yelled frantically as she came running into the bathroom.

"I forgot to grab my shampoo and stuff. Can you grab it from my bag please?" I asked as sweetly as I could.

"Damn, Bella. I thought you fell and broke something with the way you screamed," she muttered breathlessly.

"Sorry, I didn't want to trek water through the room," I admitted embarrassingly.

"It's okay, I'll be right back," she said as she turned back into the room. She came back moments later with three bottles and a loofah sponge.

"Thanks," I muttered as I took the items from her hands as she averted her eyes.

"Anytime," she said quickly.

I finished showering, and even took my time to fully shave. I wasn't about to go to the beach looking like Don King down south in those barely there bikinis that they had packed. Maybe I could head into one of the shops in the morning and pick up a one piece, or a tankini at the least.

I toweled off and brushed my hair and teeth before walking into the room to get my outfit for the night. I glared at the bed when I saw what they had laid out for me. A dark blue bikini and a flowered blue wrap around skirt with a pair of matching flip flops.

_Are they serious? Crap... well at least I shaved_... I thought as I picked up the bikini bottoms.

Once I was dressed, I headed back into the bathroom and pulled my hair up into a messy bun, put on some chapstick, and then headed off to find Alice and Rose. I walked into Alice's room first, knowing that she was usually ready before Rosalie, and she squealed happily as she saw me. I quickly covered my ears and grimaced as I walked toward her bed and plopped down on it.

"Ali...please spare my poor ear drums," I pleaded.

"Sorry, but you haven't looked that _awesome_ in forever!" she sang happily.

"You look amazing too," I offered genuinely. She was wearing a black printed bandini top that only covered her front, and came to a V at the bottom, just above the hem of her white skirt. It had two sets of strips in the back that tied above and below her bust line, but it left the rest of her back open.

"Thank you," she chirped as she did a little curtsy, and I chuckled under my breath.

"Come on, Bells...I'll do your make-up," she said as she tried to pull me off the side of the bed.

"Ali, I don't want to wear make-up," I whined.

"Just a little. Bella you have bags under your eyes. At least let me cover them up for you," she said as she gently fingered the puffy areas under my eyes.

"Fine," I grumbled and followed her to the bathroom. A few minutes later, she finished and I took a quick look in the mirror.

"Cover up the bags my ass," I grumbled as I looked at the whole dramatic smoky eye that she had done.

"Oh put a cork in it. You look amazing," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"Are you guys rea... _Damn _Bella!" Rosalie spluttered with a shocked face.

"What?" I asked as I looked down at my outfit self consciously.

"You look _hot_," she chuckled as she fanned herself with her hand.

"Shut up," I grumbled as I blushed furiously.

"Whatever, you do. Let's rock this joint," she said as she took our hands and led us out of the bathroom and to the front of the villa.

"Does anyone have a pocket for the key?" Alice asked as she patted the sides of her skirt. I shook my head knowing that I didn't have one on my wrap and we both looked to Rosalie.

"I don't have one either," she said as she looked down at her wrap skirt that was similar to mine only it was longer and open on the side where she had tied it, and it was red.

Her bikini top was red too, and was strapless. God love her for having the cleavage to pull that top off. Lord knows I'd look like a prepubescent grade schooler if I tried to wear that. I almost snorted at the mental image of the thought.

"What if we just leave a key in one of the deck boxes out front, hidden in the flowers? And then whoever gets here first can just leave the front door unlocked?" Rosalie offered with a shrug.

"Sounds good to me," Alice replied and then we headed out the front door.

Rosalie looked around quickly and then stashed the key when she noticed that no one was around. You could hear island music playing in the distance as we walked down the steps and onto the walkway. The sun was just starting to set as we turned the final corner and took in the scene ahead of us. There were tons of people milling about, some were workers and some were guests. There were a few bonfires on the beach with people around them dancing, a large number of people in the gigantic pool, and a few people sitting around the "tiki" bar.

"I thought tiki bars were supposed to be small," I said distantly as I took in the scene.

"It doesn't look like they do much of anything small around here," Rosalie laughed as we headed toward the bar.

We took seats along the empty side of the bar and waited for one of the bartenders to approach us. I was suddenly caught off guard by a flash of bronze hair from the other side of the bar, and I started shifting in my seat to get a better look at him. Unfortunately, he never turned around and a minute later, he disappeared behind the wall of liquor bottles in the middle of the oval bar.

"Can I get you ladies something to drink tonight?" someone with a slight southern accent inquired and I shifted my gaze to them.

"I'll have a Pina Colada," I said quickly. He shot me a lazy grin and nodded and turned his attention to Rosalie next to me.

"Hm... I'll have a Sex on the Beach," she said after a moment of pursing her lips. He grinned again and nodded before turning his attention to Alice, who I just now noticed was staring at him unabashedly with the funniest look on her face. Apparently Rose caught it too because she snickered at the same time I snorted.

"Earth to Ali...what do you want to drink?" Rosalie laughed as she elbowed her in the side.

"Huh? Oh sorry.. Umm I'll have an Alabama Slammer," she said and then blushed furiously. He chuckled and nodded to her.

"My name's Jasper if you ladies need anything else this evening," he said as he looked only at Alice.

"Thanks," she whispered and blushed again. Jasper walked off to get our drinks and Rose and I attacked.

"What was _that_?" I laughed as I pointed between her and where he had just been standing.

"Oh my God, Ali... you looked stunned," Rosalie laughed.

"He's it," she said quietly with a distant look in her eyes.

"He's what?" I asked curiously.

"He's the one...you know _the one_," she said animatedly.

"Oh no... not you too!" I wailed and Rosalie laughed so hard she almost fell off her stool.

"What is up with this island?" she chortled as she fixed herself on her seat.

"My curse was left at the dock in Brazil and it's allowed you two to finally find someone," I muttered under my breath and then turned to glare out at the water.

"What the hell does that mean?" Rosalie huffed and turned me in my seat.

"It means that it's my fault you two haven't found love. Look at how shitty that area has been in my life and tell me that somehow my curse didn't rub off on the two of you. You're both gorgeous and successful, and great people. There's no reason you two shouldn't be married with families by now," I muttered angrily.

"Oh that's a bunch of bullshit, Bella. We've been single because we haven't found the people that we wanted to be with for anything more serious than just a little fun. I don't know why you always try to classify yourself in a different class than either of us. You're just as gorgeous, just as successful, and you have just as good a personality as we do, if not better...when you let it shine anyway," Rosalie huffed as she crossed her arms in front of her.

"What a crock of horseshit! You two are like runway models and I'm the poster child for teenage social awkwardness!" I wailed as I waved between the two of them and myself. Some people at the other side of the bar started laughing and I blushed and looked away.

"Bella... why do you do that? Why do you put yourself down all the time?" Alice asked with a hurt look.

"Because it's true. I'm at a total opposite side of the spectrum than the two of you. Every time we go out somewhere people always stare at me while they try to figure out what the hell I'm doing with the two of you. I feel like Quasimoto following behind Cinder-fuckin-rella here and a lighter version of Princess Jasmine!" I wailed again. To hell with the laughing people... I'll never see them again after we leave.

"You're such an ass. If anyone here is a Disney character it's you. You spent four years playing Belle to Jake's Beast," Rosalie muttered as she rolled her eyes.

"Bella, no one thinks that when they look at you when you're with us. They look at you because you're beautiful, not because you're ugly. The idea of it is completely ludicrous," Alice said with a comforting tone.

"I think you two should make an appointment at the local optometrist when we get back," I grumbled and they laughed.

"If anyone should visit an optometrist, it's you," a velvety voice chuckled and I spun in my seat.

"W..what?" I stuttered as my eyes locked on two of the most beautiful green eyes I'd ever seen in my life.

The guy with the bronze hair was leaning on the bar with his perfectly muscled arms crossed and looking up at me. His plain black button down shirt rolled up to his elbows, with the buttons half way undone, exposing his perfectly chiseled chest.

"I said...if anyone should visit an optometrist, it's you. I believe you ordered the Pina Colada?" he asked and I nodded dumbly, completely unable to tear my gaze away from him. He chuckled once more as he shook his head slightly.

"Let me end this argument right here. They may be stunning, and gorgeous, and any other adjective you can think of to describe beauty, but you have something that very few women have. You have a classic natural beauty that can only be defined as exquisite," he said and then winked as he pushed my glass toward me. I blushed like a goddamn fool and finally tore my eyes away to look down at the bar.

"Like I said...exquisite," he chuckled once more and then turned to head back to the other side of the bar.

"OH MY GOD!!" Alice and Rosalie squealed together and then burst out laughing as I blushed even harder.

"Ahhh I see you've met my cousin. Just please don't send him into hiding like some other women have done in the past," Jasper laughed as he walked up to Alice and Rose with their drinks.

"One Sex on the Beach, and one Alabama Slammer," he said as he winked at Alice.

"Send him into hiding?" Rosalie asked curiously as I struggled to regain use of my brain.

"Yeah," he laughed. "Every now and again we get some women that follow him around everywhere, and it drives him nuts. When it gets too bad he goes into hiding until they leave," he chuckled.

"I'm pretty sure the only one that might go into hiding on this trip might be Bella here," Rose laughed as she bumped into me and Jasper gave her a confused look.

"Your cousin totally laid the atomic bomb of come ons on her," Rose laughed and Jasper looked between me and his cousin curiously.

"Are you serious?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Rose laughed. "He came over here and told her she needs to see an optometrist because her beauty can only be defined as exquisite."

"Holy shit!" he crowed and then slapped a hand over his mouth. "Sorry," he muttered apologetically."I guess there really is a first for everything," he said distantly as he looked in the direction of his cousin.

"Oh my God...he's Emmett's brother isn't he?" Rosalie whisper yelled with wide eyes and Jasper nodded.

I looked in the direction of his insanely beautiful cousin and tried to find some type of resemblance between him and Emmett, but I couldn't find a single one. They looked nothing alike aside from both of them being incredibly good looking. Emmett had brown curly hair and deep blue eyes, and his brother had the oddest shade of bronze hair that was slightly wavy and stuck out everywhere, and emerald green eyes. Granted they were both tall, but Emmett was built like a pro wrestler whereas his brother was a lot smaller but still muscular.

"Don't waste your time looking for similarities," Jasper chuckled and my gaze quickly shot to him just as his cousin turned to look at me. Thank God he didn't catch me ogling him.

"What?" I asked quickly.

"They aren't really brothers. Emmett is my Uncle and Aunt's only biological child. Edward is their nephew that they adopted about thirteen years ago," he said as he jabbed a thumb in Emmett's brother's direction.

"Why did they adopt him? Where are his parents?" Alice asked quietly as she looked at Edward sadly.

"Edward's parents, my aunt's sister and her husband, passed away after an accident. They were hit head on by a drunk driver on their way home from one of Edward's piano recitals. It was a miracle that he survived at all," Jasper said quietly.

"That's horrible," I whispered as I looked back toward Edward.

"Don't go bein' all sad now. He doesn't dwell on it, and for the most part he's content in life," he said as he took in our saddened expressions.

"What do you mean for the most part?" Rosalie asked with a confused look.

"Edward can get... moody occasionally. We don't know what triggers it, but from time to time he'll withdraw from the family for a few days. When he returns it's like nothing ever happened, and he's back to his content and somewhat happy self. My Aunt has theories on it, but she keeps them to herself and chooses not to make a big deal out of his... episodes," he replied somewhat uneasily.

"Damn Bells..he's your perfect match," Rosalie quipped as she jabbed me in the side.

"Shut up," I muttered under my breath as I looked back at Edward.

He was leaning on the bar talking to some guy and laughing. I couldn't imagine him being distant or withdrawn as I watched him. He tilted his head to look at me and winked quickly as he chuckled. I, once again, blushed like an idiot and looked down at the bar.

"Alright ladies, it's been real, but I have to head down to the festivities. Give Edward a shout if ya need anything while you're up here," Jasper said and I looked up to his face.

"Thanks Jazz," Alice said with a beaming smile and I almost snorted.

_Jazz..._

He grinned widely and winked at her. Rose and I waved to him as he walked walked away. He headed right to Edward and tapped him on the shoulder, saying something to him as he gestured in our direction. Edward smiled a crooked grin that damn near made my heart stop and nodded to him.

"Girls," Alice said and Rose and I looked at her. She was grinning widely with that infuriating all knowing look in her eyes. "I'm telling you I'll be engaged at the least by the time we leave this island."

"Ali, honey. You need to put that drink down. I think Jasper put too much hard liquor in it," Rosalie chuckled as she took her drink away. I laughed and shook my head.

"I'm perfectly sober!" she cried out and took her glass back. "I bet you a new pair of Manolo Blahniks that I'm engaged by the time we leave," she said with a smirk.

"You're on! Mama needs a new pair of shoes!" Rosalie laughed and I chuckled and shook my head at them.

"Alice, marriage is a _huge _deal. Don't you think it's a bit crazy to talk about marrying someone that you've barely even spoken to?" I asked incredulously.

"Bella...I always told you that when I met the person I was meant to be with, I'd know it. _He's the one_," she said confidently. I sighed and shook my head as I picked my glass back up.

"You guys wanna head down to the beach?" Rosalie asked. I shook my head but Alice got up to join her.

"Nah, I'll be right here drowning in the frozen deliciousness of my Pina Colada," I chuckled.

"Okay...don't ogle too much, you might go blind," Rose said sarcastically and Alice laughed.

"Bugger off," I muttered as I blushed and Rosalie walked off as she laughed.

"It's alright, Bells. Looking never hurt anyone. Just don't get shit faced and hop the bar to attack him," Alice giggled as she hugged me with one arm.

"Christ, Alice! It was one time! Will you ever let it go?" I pleaded as I shook my head ashamedly.

"Bella..it was hilarious! Even the bartender thought it was hysterical!" she laughed.

"That's what I get for attempting to drink my sorrows away. Trust me, I have no desire to repeat that mistake," I grumbled.

"Okay, well we'll be down on the beach if you ever care to join us. We're on vacation, Bells. Lighten up and live a little. It won't kill ya," she said as she backed away from me. I smiled tightly and nodded to her as I raised my glass at her.

I sat there for a while, sipping away on my drink and watching the waves crash against the shore. I was struggling not to look in Edward's direction. After hearing Jasper talk about him, I was... intrigued to say the least. He seemed so light and carefree as he leaned against the bar and chatted away with one of the guests, laughing and seeming to genuinely enjoy himself. It made me wonder what could ever turn him into the distant person that Jasper had described to us.

Even his voice when he had spoken to me was light and carefree, but then again when he had barked at Tyler it had been anything but light. It was annoyed and borderline furious, but still impossibly beautiful. Even his steps as he walked seemed tense, almost as if he was stalking through the lobby. Maybe his behavior down here was just a front. Maybe he really wasn't that lighthearted person that he seemed to be as I watched him earlier. Could he really just be damn good at putting up that kind of facade in the presence of guests?

I picked my glass back up and frowned as I heard that depressing slurping sound that notified me that my glass was now empty. I placed the glass back on the bar and picked the slice of pineapple off the glass and took a bite of it as I gazed out at the dark ocean. It was oddly soothing, and helped me greatly with my inner turmoil.

"Can I get you another drink? Perhaps a Sex on the Beach? Or are you more of a Panty Dropper kind of girl?" a male voice spoke from beside me. I turned slowly with my brow furrowed to face the person speaking, and he grinned at me.

"Excuse me?" I asked as I glared at him. His grin only widened further.

"Okay, so maybe not the Panty Dropper," he said as he shrugged. "How about a Screaming Orgasm?" he asked with a wink and I cringed away from him.

"NEWTON! Back off!" Edward hollered as he stalked toward us.

"What? I was just asking this beautiful lady if I could get her another drink," he retorted defensively.

"And I said back off. Go handle the other side of the bar," Edward growled as he pointed in the opposite direction.

"Yes, sir," he replied as he narrowed his eyes at Edward. He turned and grinned at me and winked as he nodded in my direction before walking off.

"Sorry about that," Edward said as he shook his head and watched the guy walk away.

"It's fine," I replied quietly as I fought down the bile that had risen in my throat.

"I should have been paying closer attention. I didn't even realize that he had shown up yet," he said as he shook his head remorsefully.

"Really...it's fine. I think he might be one of the ones that Kelly warned us about earlier," I chuckled as I waved my hands around, dismissing the situation.

"I wouldn't doubt it," he chuckled. "Can I get you a refill?" he asked as he gestured toward my empty glass. I nodded and he smiled that crooked grin again, making my heart skip a beat and then take off at a frantic pace.

"Another Pina Colada?" he asked as he picked up the glass.

"Any other suggestions?" I asked as I blushed, thinking of the words Screaming Orgasm falling from his lips.

"What's you preference? Frozen or on the rocks?" he chuckled.

"Frozen," I answered quickly.

"I got just the thing...be back in a minute. Scream bloody murder if he comes back," he laughed as he turned to walk off. I chuckled under my breath and watched him unabashedly. He came back a few minutes later carrying a hurricane style glass with a slice of orange on the rim and a blue umbrella.

"Let me know how it is," he said with a smile as he passed me the glass. I took a quick sip and about died and went to heaven. It was incredible.

"It's delicious. What is it?" I asked curiously.

"It's a Brunette Goddess," he replied with a wink and I swore my face was about to catch fire.

"I've never heard of it," I replied shyly.

"That's probably because I just made it just for you," he laughed and I almost choked on the drink.

"Are you okay?" he chuckled. I laughed through my embarrassment and nodded as I cleared my throat.

"Yeah, fine," I croaked as my eyes watered.

"Let me get you some water," he said and quickly retreated. He came back a moment later and handed me the glass.

"Thanks," I said after I took a quick sip.

"Anytime. So what's your name? I need to know what to call my newest creation," he said with a smirk and I chuckled nervously.

"Bella," I replied simply.

"Bella... nice. It suits you perfectly," he mused and I blushed yet again. I'd be surprised if my face ever returned to its natural color after tonight.

"And you are?" I asked, even though I already knew.

"Edward. It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella," he said with a crooked grin as he held his hand out. I placed my hand in his gently and my breath hitched as I felt an incredibly strange sensation shoot through my arm. It was almost as if an electric current had passed between us.

"Likewise," I managed to choke out. He gently squeezed my hand before letting it go and then chuckled.

"No, trust me, the pleasure's all mine," he said quietly. So quietly I almost missed it. He looked at me with a strange expression for a moment before clearing his throat and composing himself.

"So what brings you to good ol' Isle Esme?" he asked conversationally.

"My friends had enough of my wallowing in self pity and dragged me here," I replied without thinking, and then wanted to smack myself as I shot him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry... I'm sure you hear enough of people's woes around here. Let me rephrase that... My friends decided it would be fun to go on vacation and they convinced me to come along," I said as I shook my head ashamedly.

"Don't worry about it. Bartenders are known to be great counselors. We have to take a psychology class to graduate Bar Tending 101," he chuckled and I snorted. Immediately, I dropped my head in embarrassment and shielded my forehead with my hand. Edward laughed boisterously and pulled my hand away.

"That was cute," he chuckled and I laughed nervously as I shook my head.

"I can't believe I just did that," I muttered and looked away. I couldn't bring myself to look at him.

"No, really. It was adorable. I don't think I've ever met a woman that could pull off a snort so attractively," he laughed and I wanted to die. I silently prayed for a tsunami to wipe me off my stool and carry me somewhere far, far away.

"Bella?" he called, and I forced myself to look at him. His gaze was smoldering and it made my breath hitch in my throat.

"Yeah?" I whispered as I let out my breath.

"Don't be embarrassed. There's no reason to be, I swear," he said sincerely as he reached out and placed his hand over mine and squeezed it gently. That current shot up my arm once again and we both looked down at our hands at the same time.

_Does that mean he felt it too? God, maybe I'm seriously going crazy_.

"So what do you and your friends have planned for your stay here?" he asked, effectively bringing my attention away from the sense of loss that I felt when he pulled his hand away. Weird. I shook my head and looked up at him.

"I'm not sure. Emmett was telling us about all the things we can do here, but we haven't discussed it," I replied honestly.

"Anything with Emmett involved is loads of fun... sometimes insane, but always fun," he chuckled and I laughed.

"We're heading out in the morning for some water skiing and wake boarding. You and your friends should come," he said with a hopeful expression.

"Water skis and wake boards would probably land me in a hospital with multiple injuries," I responded, only half joking.

"That graceful, huh?" he chuckled and I laughed.

"You have no idea," I admitted as I rolled my eyes.

"We have water tubes too. All you have to do is sit on those," he offered and I shook my head.

"I'll ask them if they want to go, but if we go, I'm keeping myself safe inside the boat," I said seriously.

"I'll get you out on that water, just watch," he said confidently with a wink and I rolled my eyes.

"Bella!" Alice called out as she skipped up to us.

"What's up, Ali?" I asked as she stopped next to me.

"We're gonna grab something to eat. We're starving. Are you coming?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure. I probably should eat something," I replied as I nodded. She smiled at Edward and he grinned back before looking back at me.

"Enjoy the luau," he said with a smile.

"I'll try," I chuckled as I stood from my seat and picked up my drink.

"Thanks for the drinks, Edward," I said as I smiled at him.

"My pleasure. Come see me anytime," he said with a wink. I blushed slightly and nodded as I waved at him and walked toward Alice.

"Bye, Edward!" Alice chirped as she waved and linked her arm with mine.

"Bye, Ali. See you around, Belllaaa," he practically sang back with a wide grin. I waved once more as we walked off.

"My Lord, Bella...he's a hottie and a half," Alice chuckled as soon as we were far enough away from the bar area and I stopped.

"Alice, please don't start getting things in your head. There's no way that anything will happen between us. He lives on an island off the coast of _Brazil_ for crying out loud. Besides, he could get any woman he wanted to. There's no reason for him to look at me twice that way," I said seriously.

"Bella, he just spent the last hour talking to you and only you. He completely ignored every other guest at that bar," she said as she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"He probably felt bad that I was sitting there all alone," I argued.

"Whatever, Bella. I saw the way he looked at you. He didn't feel bad at all," she retorted.

"Ali, please. Just drop it. I'm not getting involved in some island affair with someone. It wouldn't be fair to either of us when it comes time for me to leave," I pleaded with her.

"Okay, okay. I'll drop it, but don't expect me not to say I told ya so later on," she said as she held her hands up in front of her and then pointed at me.

"I'll try to remember that," I said sarcastically as I re-linked my arm with hers and started walking again.

"So Emmett and Jasper invited us to go water skiing with them in the morning. Are you in?" she asked as we approached the buffet.

"Yeah, I guess so. Edward invited all of us as well," I replied as I picked up a plate.

"Oh, Bella," she snickered and looked at me straight in the face and then shook her head.

"What?" I asked confusedly.

"You're already hooked and you don't even see it," she laughed.

"What? No I'm not," I defended quickly.

_Am I?.... Shit...I think I just might be..._

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**AN: Reviews are better than hot bartenders making you custom drinks...that is unless that bartender happens to be Edward LOL. Leave one..please? ~Jersey~**


	4. I Can't Dance But I Can Hula

**AN: Okay so I'm having an issue with this story already. It's highly addictive to write and I can't stop wanting to post updates on it. I'm so weak LOL. Anyways...this is the last one before the weekend. I'll be at work all weekend so I won't be able to post...even if I wanted to. I hope you're all enjoying reading this..and please please drop a line and let me know if you are. I seriously love hearing from all of you.**

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Disclaimer: I don't own the characters...but I did put them in hula skirts LOL. Sorry SM...you can have em back when I'm done playing.

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I Can't Dance...But I Can Hula

BPOV

Alice and I finished filling our plates with food and I followed behind her as she walked toward our table. As we approached, I noticed that both Emmett and Jasper were sitting there, shoveling food in their mouths quickly, and Emmett was sporting a coconut bra. The sight of them made me snicker as I sat down.

"Afraid the island natives are gonna smell it and come wandering out of the bush?" I laughed and they looked up at me simultaneously and smirked.

"Bella! There you are! I was beginning to worry that Edward may have clubbed you over the head and dragged your limp body off to his cave!" Emmett boomed with laughter.

I stared at him with wide eyes and an open mouth as my fork froze mid-way to my mouth. I quickly composed myself and shot a glare to Rosalie and Alice.

"What did you say to them?" I snarled.

"Nothing!" they both yelped defensively and held their hands up innocently. I narrowed my eyes at them further until someone across the table cleared his throat.

"Umm... they really didn't say anything, Bella. I told Emmett what Edward said," Jasper said nervously and I turned to look at him. He smiled at me sheepishly and I instantly felt horrible.

"Sorry," he muttered. "It's just that there's no secrets in our family. It's impossible to keep them because we can see right through each other."

"Please, don't apologize," I spluttered remorsefully. "I didn't mean to snap like that. I suffer from HTS. Please pay no attention to me."

"What the hell is HTS?" Emmett asked with a befuddled look as Alice and Rosalie burst out laughing.

"Umm... Hot Temper Syndrome?" I muttered in embarrassment. Emmett guffawed loudly and numerous people turned to look at our table. Jasper snorted as he laughed and started choking. I quickly jumped from my seat, as Emmett slammed a hand across his back repeatedly.

"EM! Cut it out! I'm fine!" Jasper yelled hoarsely as he tried to smack Emmett's arm away.

"Sorry, man, but hell you were turning blue," he grumbled.

"That's from those damn lights! Not because I was choking!" Jasper laughed as he pointed to one of the colored stage lights that was moving randomly around the hula stage set up on the beach. Emmett grinned widely as he looked off at the stage.

"I hope you ladies brought your hula skirts," he chuckled and Jasper joined in as he pointed at the people learning to hula dance on the stage.

"Bella! We so have to try that tonight!" Alice squealed and I laughed as I shook my head.

"Ali, you know damn well straight I can't dance," I chuckled and looked at her incredulously.

"Aww, come on little one! You're on an island in the Atlantic Ocean. This isn't Seattle, Bells. Let go and be free while you're here," Emmett said encouragingly.

"Besides, it's not like you can do any worse than that guy right there," he chortled as he pointed and I turned to look.

I almost fell off my seat laughing. He looked like he was having a seizure as he twitched his hips and limbs awkwardly in various directions.

"Alright, alright. I'll try it," I relented.

"Atta girl! Be right back. I'm gonna get you ladies some skirts and leis," he said quickly and hopped up out of his seat.

"Bells, we'll be right back. We're gonna get some refills. Will you be alright here with Jasper?" Alice asked as she and Rosalie stood from the table. I nodded and waved them off, watching as they headed off toward the tiki bar, and praying that they wouldn't say something embarrassing to Edward.

"So I was watching Edward talk to you earlier while working the limbo area," Jasper said quietly and my gaze shot to him.

"Yeah, he's nice. He saved me from some guy named Newgin or something like that," I said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Newton," he laughed and I blushed. "He's a real piece of work that one. Thinks he's God's gift to women."

"Certainly seemed that way when he asked if he could refill my drink," I huffed and he looked at me apologetically.

"Sorry about that. If it wasn't the busy season we'd oust him immediately, but unfortunately we need him at the moment," he said sincerely.

"It's alright, Jasper. He's not the first creep I've ever encountered," I laughed and he joined in. It got a little uncomfortable after we stopped laughing. The tension in the air between us was palpable, and you could probably cut it with a knife.

"Can I ask you for a favor?" he asked, completely serious. I looked at him warily and nodded.

"Please don't hurt him. I've never seen him look at a woman the way he was looking at you," he said with a pleading expression, and I was warring with myself between either being offended by the idea of it, or being grateful that Edward had someone that loved him enough to look out for him. I finally decided to go with the latter, and knocked the ice chip off my shoulder.

"Jasper, listen. I don't know what it is that all of you think you're seeing, but there's nothing going on between us. I'm not one to get involved in some vacation affair. It wouldn't be fair to either of us when it comes time for me to leave and go back home. I have no intentions of hurting him in any way. He seems like a nice person, and if we end up as friends during my stay, that's more than plenty for me," I said sincerely. Jasper smiled at me, and seemed to look right through me for a series of moments.

"You're completely oblivious to it, aren't you?" he asked as his gaze softened.

"Oblivious to what?" I asked in confusion and he looked at me for another series of moments.

"Nothing, nothing. Just know that if something does happen, you have my blessing, and I guarantee you have Em's as well," he said cryptically and I eyed him in complete bewilderment.

"Here you go, baby girl," Emmett said as he placed a lei around my neck, bringing me out of my confused stare down with a smug looking Jasper. I swear the man looked like he had just solved the mother of all confounding riddles.

"Thanks, Emmett," I said quietly as I took the grass hula skirt from him and stood to wrap it around my waist. He looked between Jasper and I and then shot a glare at him.

"Jasper, stay out of it, man," he warned with a threatening tone, and once again I looked at them in confusion.

_What the hell am I missing?_

"I am, I swear," Jasper said as he held his hands up in surrender.

"Sorry, I may joke about people's personal lives, but my cousin here has a tendency to meddle where he doesn't belong," Emmett said apologetically as he tied the skirt on the side of my hip.

"It's okay. I know someone like that too... well two of them actually," I laughed nervously. I wasn't used to having a man tend to me that way, even though his actions were completely innocent.

"I wasn't meddling," Jasper grumbled as he crossed his arms across his chest. Emmett shot him an incredulous look and crossed his own arms across his chest.

"You were too, I saw it on your face. Let it alone," he warned again.

"Okay, I don't know what's going on, but really it's fine. Jasper wasn't meddling, he was looking out for his cousin, and I admire that," I said as I stepped away from them and looked between them.

"Bells, take a walk with me," Emmett said as he grasped my hand and led me away from Jasper and the table.

He led us down the beach, away from the bar, pool, and festivities. It wasn't until we were pretty far away from all of it that he turned and plopped down into the sand and patted the spot next to him. I sank down, and waited for him to say something.

"Look, whatever Jasper said to you... ignore it. He means well, but he has a tendency to stick his nose where it doesn't belong," he said as he stared out at the darkened ocean.

"He didn't really say much of anything aside from asking me not to hurt Edward...which I didn't understand," I said honestly, trying to mend the rift that seemed to have sprouted up between him and Jasper.

"_That_ ...that right there is what I'm talking about. Edward's a grown man, and he can handle his own. Jasper has no business asking that of you," he said seriously as he turned to look at me. I stared at him bewilderedly.

"Emmett," I sighed. "He was just looking out for his family. He told us earlier how some women have basically stalked him around the island and forced him into hiding until they left," I said, still trying to mend whatever had gone wrong so quickly.

"Yeah," he chuckled as he shook his head. "There have been some real persistent ones over the last few years."

"So is everything smoothed out now?" I asked hopefully and he looked me in the eye for a moment.

"Almost. Promise me something, Bella," he said seriously as he looked me straight in the eye. "Just promise me not to be afraid, and to follow your heart."

I looked at him wondering what he could possibly mean. It was such a strange request, but I couldn't see the harm in promising him that. It may be odd, but it didn't seem all that hard to do.

"Okay, I promise," I said solemnly as I nodded. Emmett grinned widely as he stood and held his hand out to help me up.

"Come on, little one. Let's go hula," he laughed as he wrapped one of his massive arms around my shoulders and led us back down the beach.

"I'm warning you, Emmett. This may be dangerous. I may have to have you sign a contract negating my liability in the possible event of your death or dismemberment," I laughed and he guffawed.

"I don't care what anyone says about your word vomit or Hot Temper Syndrome, you're alright in my book," he chuckled as he squeezed my shoulder lightly.

"You're pretty alright in my book too, Emmett," I admitted.

From the moment we had met him, he just had this air about him that was completely different from anyone I had ever met before. He was everything I could have ever wished for in a big brother, and then some. I had never been able to open up to people right away, but it just seemed effortless with him. With Edward too... only he didn't have that brotherly aura to him. I wasn't sure what vibe I was getting from him, but I knew one thing for sure... it was addictive.

His smiles, his laugh, his voice, those piercing emerald green eyes with tiny flecks of gold around his irises, hell even his smell that occasionally drifted to my nose in the gentle breeze... all of it was intoxicating. I couldn't get enough of it, and it took everything in me to walk away from him with Alice. Never in my life have I met someone that was able to consume my attention so completely.

"You ready, little one?" Emmett asked as we stepped up onto the stage.

I chuckled and nodded, completely unsure of what I was supposed to do. I looked to my side and saw that Alice and Rosalie were just starting to get the hang of it as they laughed and tried to get their skirts to shimmy the way Kelly's was as she showed them what to do.

"Okay, the easiest way I can explain this to you, is to gyrate your hips in a circular motion with your legs bent," he said as he stood behind me with his hands on my hips. I bent my legs, and he guided my hips around in the circular motion.

"That's great, Bella. You're a natural," he said encouragingly and I laughed. I probably looked about as fluid as that guy that was on stage earlier. He guided me for a few more circular motions and then let go.

"Okay, now when you swing your hips back, turn to your left. Keep doing that 'til you come full circle," he said and I did as he said, feeling like a jackass.

"Perfect," he said with a wide grin and I laughed, amazed that I hadn't managed to fall flat on my ass.

"Alright, you're getting the hang of this. Now it's time for the arm motions. Just follow what Kelly's doing," he said and I laughed and nodded.

"Watch out, Emmett. This is where it gets deadly," I laughed and he chuckled as he took a step back.

"Bella! Isn't this fun?" Alice chirped as Rosalie smiled at me and did a full circle. I laughed and nodded as I tried to mimic Kelly's arm movements.

"Alright, has everyone got their ami down?" Kelly asked as she continued her gyrating motions. I looked at her in confusion and Emmett chuckled.

"Sorry, Bella. An ami is just that basic circular pattern with your hips. The four circle turn is called going around the island," he said and I nodded with a smile.

"Okay ladies, stretch your right arm out to the side, and bring your left arm in front of your chest, bend it at the elbow....that's it," Kelly said and we all followed what she did.

"Now make subtle motions with your fingers like water rippling," she said as she demonstrated. We all continued our circular patterns with our hips as we mimicked her motions.

"Very good," she smiled. "Now take two steps to the right as you sway your hips to the side," she said as she demonstrated. We all followed right afterwards.

"Awesome," she said happily. "Now switch your arms and take two steps to the left," she said and we all laughed as we complied. A few people went the wrong way and bumped into each other.

"That's called a Vent Move. Now let's see it ladies. Give me a Vent Move, then go around the island, and finish up with the ami," she said and we all gave it a shot. Alice and Rosalie bumped into each other, as well as a good number of the others. By some miracle I made it out alive.

"Way to go Bella!" Emmett boomed as he clapped and I laughed as I dropped my arms and blushed furiously.

"And you claim you can't dance!" Rosalie laughed. "You did better than we did!"

"Beginner's luck," I chuckled.

"There's nothing beginner about those moves," that intoxicating velvety tone called and I spun around, almost stumbling off the stage. Thank God for Emmett standing so close to me as he managed to catch me in time.

"Whoa there, little one," he chuckled as he steadied me.

"Drinks, ladies?" Edward offered as he held a service tray up in the air and winked at me.

There were three glasses on the tray, each holding a different drink, and a different colored umbrella. There was a blue one, red one, and pink one. I think it was safe to say that they were color coded for us. I reached down and picked up the one with the blue umbrella and he smirked at me.

"Thank you, Edward," I said with a smile.

"How'd you know that one was for you?" he chuckled.

"Lucky guess," I said with a smug smile and took a sip. Yep, definitely mine. It was another Brunette Goddess. Alice and Rosalie took theirs and thanked him. He smiled and nodded to them.

"Enjoy your drinks, ladies," he said to them before looking back at me and tucking the tray under his arm.

"Have you ever hula danced before?" he asked curiously. I blushed and shook my head.

"You're a natural. I think you might be better than Kelly...we may have to hire you to teach the guests," he chuckled and I laughed and shook my head.

"Your insurance policy would quadruple if you had me on staff," I said as I waved my hand back and forth, dismissing the idea of it. He chuckled and shook his head.

"It'd be money well spent if I got to watch you do that every few nights," he said as he pointed toward the stage. I couldn't tell if he was joking or serious, but either way I blushed like a damn fool. I lowered myself down to the edge of the stage, and tossed my legs over the side as I sat down.

"So how come you're stuck at the bar while Emmett and Jasper get to have fun hula dancing and doing the limbo?" I asked curiously and Edward laughed.

"I choose to be up there. I like knowing there's a counter separating me from overzealous guests. I did the hula dancing thing once...never again," he chuckled and I wondered what could have possibly happened that was so horrible he'd never want to do it again.

"Understandable," I said simply as I nodded. He looked somewhat surprised for a moment and I looked at him curiously.

"What?" I asked.

"You're not going to ask what happened?" he asked as his surprise faded into something along the lines of awe.

"Nope," I said popping the "p". "I figure if you want me to know then you'll tell me. I'm not one to run around digging for answers that people may not want to give."

"Amazing," he said almost reverently and I looked at him curiously again.

"Sorry," he muttered. "It's just that most women I've ever come across will practically assault you to pry information that they want from you." I laughed and tapped my temple as I looked at him.

"Defective. I think I was dropped on my head at birth," I chuckled and he burst out laughing.

"You're a trip," he chuckled and I shrugged and nodded as I smiled.

"Alright, I'll tell you, but you have to promise to keep it a secret," he said as he grinned and shook a finger at me. I held up two fingers and crossed my heart silently and he chuckled once more.

"My Aunt really wanted to have these luaus twice a week during the busy summer season, and she wanted to be able to teach the guests how to hula dance. Kelly came on board shortly before we opened the resort to the public, and her and her husband taught a few of us how to do it. Emmett and I thought the guys' dance was pretty fun so we figured we'd help teach it."

I listened intently as he spoke, completely enthralled by his facial expressions and occasional chuckles. I could listen to him talk all day and night about absolutely nothing, and probably never get bored.

"So during the first luau, I decided to hop up here with Kelly and Emmett and teach a few of the guests how to do the dance. There was this woman that had been practically stalking me all day, and no matter where I went, she found me. It didn't matter if I was in the towel huts, the activity shack, the bar... wherever I was, she found me. Each time she would flirt constantly, and there wasn't really anything I could do about it because we're not rude to our guests."

"So when I hopped up on stage, she was the first one to come running up on the stage. I smiled and acted pleasantly toward her while showing her the steps, and she kept purposely messing up. I knew she was doing it on purpose because it was painfully obvious. As a last resort, I decided to help her, much the same way Emmett guided you tonight at first, and after about a minute she reached behind her, and in one swift motion, she grabbed a hold of me," he said as his eyes drifted south and I gasped as I covered my mouth in shock.

"She didn't!" I exclaimed. He laughed and nodded.

"She did, and it wasn't gentle either, though I'm assuming that had more to do with how many drinks she'd had throughout the day. The worst part was when she quickly spun around, causing me a bit of pain to which I groaned and tried to remove her hand from me, she attacked me and plunged her tongue into my mouth," he chuckled and I gasped yet again.

"That's horrible," I uttered as I looked at him sympathetically.

"Yeah...so that's why I stay behind the bar or the activity shack desk. I need that personal space bubble to remain intact, as well as my appendages," he laughed and I smacked his arm lightly.

"You shouldn't joke about that. That's horrible. I can't believe she did that to you... not that I'm any better," I said and muttered the end under my breath.

"What was that?" he asked as he laughed. I sighed and then chuckled.

"I said I'm not any better," I repeated clearly.

"Oh, come on. I can't picture you doing something like that," he said incredulously. I laughed and nodded.

"A few years ago, Alice, Rosalie, and I went to a bar after the most recent break up of my on again off again relationship at the time, and I got tanked. I mean seriously _tanked_. There was this bartender there that had been serving us all night, and I kept swearing that he was flirting with me. Unfortunately, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum behind me egged me on, and by the end of the night, I ended up hopping over the bar and launching myself at him. He thought it was hilarious and he gave me his number, but I never called," I admitted and Edward burst out laughing. I glared at him playfully and waited for him to compose himself as I stifled my own amusement.

"Sorry, but I would have paid to see that," he chuckled and I scoffed as I shook my head.

"I can't see how you're still standing here talking to me after I admitted that I committed almost the same offense as that woman that attacked you," I chuckled and he shook his head.

"Nah, at least you had the excuse that he was flirting with you. I had spent an entire day politely declining her advances," he said sincerely.

"Eh...potato, potahto.... same difference," I said as I shrugged and avoided his gaze.

"Not even close," he chuckled and I looked up at him, once again locking on that smoldering gaze of his.

"So did you ask your friends about tomorrow?" he asked conversationally, and I could have kissed him for changing the subject... though I'm sure that would have made him run for cover.

"Yeah... we're going. Emmett and Jasper had already asked them," I said as I nodded.

"Great...I'm looking forward to it. Make sure you bring some heavy duty sunblock, wouldn't want you to burn on your first day out," he said, his voice laced with genuine concern.

"I'm sure Alice packed some. She's a nut about skin care," I chuckled and he smiled at me.

"Well, I should get back up there. I'll see you tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your night," he said after a few moments of silence. I nodded and fought the sudden urge to frown as I forced myself to smile back at him.

"Watch out for the wild women on your hike back up. I hear they can be pretty rabid around here," I snickered and he laughed as he started walking backwards up the beach.

"I'll scream bloody murder if I need help," he said as he winked and I laughed as I waved at him.

I lifted myself up off the edge of the stage, and placed my empty glass off to the side where no one would step on it or trip over it before making my way back over to Rosalie and Alice. I joined back in with them as we learned a few more hula dances, and somewhere around one am, I decided to call it a night. Rosalie and Alice wanted to go for a quick swim, but I declined and told them I'd leave the door unlocked for them.

As I made my way up the beach and toward the wood plank walkway, I spotted Edward behind the bar talking with a few people. He spotted me instantly and I smiled and waved to him. He winked and waved back before returning to his conversation.

I was completely exhausted, and my legs hurt like hell. I guess spending two years in bed really made something like hula dancing a grade A workout. As I got to the villa, I looked around before digging the key out from the flowers where we had left it, and opened the door. I tossed the key on the coffee table and went to make my way into my room before I looked up and saw the back doors leading out to the deck, and I remembered the hot tub.

"Emmett... you are a Saint," I muttered to myself as I grabbed a towel from my room and headed out back.

I set the temperature on the hot tub and turned the jets on before slipping my flip flops and skirt off. I climbed in the water and relaxed as the jets worked magic on my sore muscles. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore over the sound of the jets was overwhelmingly soothing. I'm not sure how long I had been sitting in there before I heard Alice and Rosalie laughing as they approached the front of the villa.

"Bella?!" Rosalie called out from the hallway.

"Out back!" I called back to her.

"There you are. How's the water?" she asked as she and Alice walked over to the edge of the hot tub.

"Amazing," I sighed.

"Mind if we join you?" she asked and I shook my head.

"I'm gonna go turn on that stereo system and see if I can find something for us to listen to," Alice said as she disappeared back inside and Rose slipped into the water with me.

"Did you have fun tonight?" she asked after she sighed.

"Yeah... lots. You?" I asked in return.

"Loads. Man, she really picked a winning vacation this time," she chuckled.

"God, do you remember when she booked us that vacation to Jamaica when she first launched her clothing line?" I muttered and Rosalie laughed.

"Do I ever. I swear I still have nightmares over the size of the bugs that were there. Where the hell did she get the reviews for that place from?" she scoffed and I laughed.

"Probably out of a Cracker Jack box," I chuckled and Rose laughed again.

" That second trip there was _much _better," she said as she slid further down in the water.

"Yeah," I sighed.

"What's up Bells? Seems like you've got something on your mind," she said softly.

"Just thinking about how messed up things have been for so long now. You know I never meant for things to get that out of hand, right?" I asked worriedly.

"I know. We knew how hard it was on you after he did that. Even though it hadn't been the first time he had cheated on you, he had never been callous enough to bring the hag along with him when he cleared his things out. You're better off without him, Bells. Trust me on that," she said seriously and I nodded.

" I know. I don't know why it took me so long to realize it, but I do now. We were never meant to be anything more than friends, and I _knew _that in the beginning. I don't know why I ever let it progress past that," I admitted just as quiet and soothing jazz music started to play from the speakers outside.

"Because you loved him. You had never dated anyone before him, Bella. You didn't know the difference between friendship love and romantic love," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Well I guess to her it was. She had dated numerous people throughout high school and beyond.

"I brought you out a towel, Rose," Alice said as she slipped back out onto the deck and made her way over to the hot tub.

"Thanks, Ali," she said quickly.

"So the guys want to head out by eleven. I figured we could get up around nine, get dressed and grab some breakfast before meeting up with them," Alice said as she slipped into the water beside me.

" God this is _fabulous_," she moaned and I chuckled.

"Ali...no sex sounds in the hot tub," I snickered and they laughed.

"So are you still angry that we dragged you here?" Alice asked and I shook my head.

"No, Ali. Thank you, both of you. Not just for this, but for putting up with me for so long as well," I said sincerely.

"That's what sisters do, Bells," she said as she clasped my hand under the water. I gave it a gentle squeeze which she returned before letting my hand go.

"Just remember what we did for you when it's time to be a bridesmaid and sport a hideous dress and some high heel shoes for our weddings one day," Rosalie chuckled and I laughed.

"I highly doubt any dress in either of your weddings would be hideous, but I promise not to assault too many of your loved ones with those heels," I joked.

"Damn right those dresses won't be ugly," Alice muttered and Rose and I laughed.

"Come on..it's tradition for bridesmaids dresses to be outlandishly grotesque," Rose snickered and Alice scoffed.

"You can have some gangrene colored monstrosity of a dress in your wedding if you wish to, but it won't be making an appearance at mine," she huffed and we laughed again.

"What about you, Bella? What kind of dress are you gonna stick us in?" Rose chuckled and I snorted.

"Hell if that ever happens I'll probably die of shock way before there's even a need to book a location. If by some miracle I make it past a hypothetical proposal...I'm sticking you two shit heads in muumuus and house slippers," I laughed and they both gasped.

"Hair curlers, bonnets and all!" I chortled.

"Bella!" they cried out at the same time.

"What?" I snorted.

"Tell me you're joking," Rosalie said seriously.

"Of course I'm joking, Rose. The biggest joke of all of it is me ever getting married...duh!" I chuckled as I rolled my eyes.

"God bless the man who has the strength to live with you daily," she retorted as she laughed and I guffawed.

"Aww but you both love me," I snickered. They both looked at each other and shrugged then nodded at me.

"That we do, Bella, but we don't have to live with you daily either," Alice said through her tinkling laughter.

"You do for four weeks, sister," I laughed as I pointed at her and Rosalie burst out laughing.

"Touche," she giggled.

"Alright...I'm officially pruned. I'm heading in. I'll see you guys in the morning," I said as I climbed my way out of the hot tub.

"G'nite, Bella," they both said at the same time.

"Night," I replied as I wrapped myself in a towel and picked my skirt and flip flops up off the ground and made my way into the house.

I took a quick shower and changed into a tank top and sleep shorts before crawling into the luxurious bed. It was so soft and comfortable, and the soft jazz music lulled me off to sleep, and into a dream world filled with velvety musical laughter and sparkling green eyes almost immediately.

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**AN: Reviews are better than seeing Emmett in a hula skirt and coconut bra. Please review..I'm starting to think this story sucks based on the hits vs reviews being left. ::sniffle::**


	5. Braving the Waters

**AN: Okay...so I know I said updates on this story would be about once a week...but I'm addicted. What can I say? I hope you enjoy it.**

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Disclaimer: I don't own them...SM just allows all of us to play with them from time to time.

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Braving the Waters

BPOV

"Bella," Alice called as she shook my shoulder.

"Hmm?" I hummed in response.

"Wake up. We have to get ready to leave," she said quietly.

"Alright...five more minutes," I mumbled and she giggled.

"No...come on. We're already running late. Rose and I overslept," she said as she shook me one more time.

"What time is it?" I groaned as I rolled over.

"Quarter to ten," she said and I shot up in bed, shielding my eyes from the sunlight pouring in the sliding glass doors.

"Take a quick shower and get dressed, then meet me in my room," she said as she slipped off the bed. I nodded and stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom.

I took a quick shower and toweled off before putting on the bikini that Alice had left out for me. It had various different shades of blue in it, and it looked like a rippling water design or something. I couldn't bring myself to care what it was through my sleepy haze. I wrapped the towel back around me and stumbled off toward Alice's room.

"Come here. We have to get lathered up before we go outside or we'll burn to a crisp. There isn't a cloud in the sky today," she said as she passed me a bottle of SPF 70 or some outrageous number.

I quickly coated everything I could reach easily then passed the bottle to Alice so she could do my back. When she was done, she turned around and I did the same for her just as Rosalie walked in and handed Alice a bottle of her own sunblock and turned around.

"Okay. I left you a tank top and a pair of board shorts in your room with some flip flops," Alice said to me and I nodded.

"I packed a cover up for each of us in case we start to burn, some towels, a hair brush, and a few bottles of water from the fridge. Do you need anything else in the bag?" she asked both Rosalie and I. We both shook our heads as she tossed the bottles of sunblock in and zipped up the bag.

Rosalie and I headed off to get dressed and met back up in the living room a few minutes later. We locked up the villa and tossed the key into Alice's bag before heading over to the buffet area next to the pool.

"Are you going to try water skiing, Bells?" Alice asked as we made our way around the fresh fruit section.

"Hell no... I have no desire to visit a hospital in Brazil," I said seriously.

"What about you?" I asked as I put a few pieces of fresh pineapple on my plate.

"Probably...I really want to try wake boarding though, even though people say it's harder than water skiing," she said as she shrugged.

"Have fun with that. I'll cheer ya on from inside the boat," I chuckled and she laughed as we made our way to our table.

"Can I get you ladies something to drink this morning?" a waitress asked as we sat down.

"I'll have some orange juice and a cappuccino," Rosalie said quickly and the waitress looked to Alice and I.

"I'll have the same, thank you," I said gratefully.

"Just some orange juice, thanks," Alice said, and the waitress departed to fill our drink order.

"So I was thinking of maybe renting some mopeds and checking out the island tomorrow... what do you guys think?" Alice asked as she cut up her pancakes.

"Sounds good to me," Rosalie said as she popped a piece of watermelon in her mouth.

"I think I'll just stay here," I said as I focused on pushing my food around my plate.

"Noo, Bella," Alice whined. "You have to come with us."

"Ali, do you remember what happened that time Jacob tried getting me to ride his motorcycle?" I asked her as I crossed my arms across my chest.

"That was a _motorcycle_, not a moped.... and he was an ass for putting you on it by yourself without showing you how to ride it first," she said as she waved a speared piece of pancake at me.

"Motorcycle, moped, what's the difference? They both have two wheels and I have no balance. I'll end up with another broken leg and road rash," I huffed in response.

"Bella, I'm not sure you can actually get road rash from falling off a moped. Maybe a few scrapes and bruises, but I highly doubt even you can achieve what you got from falling off that motorcycle by falling off a moped," Rosalie chuckled.

"How big is this island anyway?" I asked, trying to divert the direction of this conversation.

"It's actually pretty big, but we can only access the east, north, and south sides of the island. The west side is all privately owned property, I'm assuming by Emmett's parents," Alice said as the waitress came back with our drinks.

"Does anyone other than their family actually live on this island?" I asked Alice curiously and she shrugged.

"Quite a few actually, most of us that work here live on the island," the waitress said with a thick accent and a smile.

"Where?" I asked curiously.

"Mostly here at the resort. A few live on the south side of the island. Can I get you anything else?" she asked politely.

"No, we're good thank you," I said pleasantly. She nodded and headed off to another table.

"So what do you say, Bella?" Rosalie asked and I chewed on the side of my mouth as I contemplated my answer.

"Fine, BUT... if I hurt myself, you two are going to be my personal slaves for the rest of this trip," I said as I laughed and waved my forked strawberry at them.

"You won't get hurt, Bells. We're gonna have a great time," Alice said with that all knowing look in her eyes. God how I hated that look sometimes.

"Where are we supposed to meet the guys?" I asked as I pushed my plate away and picked up my cappuccino.

"Down at the dock where we came in yesterday," Alice said as she looked down at her watch. "We still have about twenty minutes."

We finished eating breakfast with some light conversation, and twenty minutes later we made our way down to the dock. Emmett, Edward, and Jasper were loading equipment into the boat that we had been in the day before when Emmett looked up and spotted us.

"Good mornin', ladies!" he bellowed and we laughed and waved.

"Mornin' Em!" Alice hollered down the dock. They all hopped out of the boat and made their way down the dock towards us as we continued walking.

"I hope you ladies put on some sunblock. It's gonna be a scorcher today," he chuckled as he gave us each a hug.

"Wouldn't dare venture out without it," I laughed as he lifted me off my feet in his arms.

"Let loose and have fun today, Bells," he whispered before putting me back down. I chuckled and nodded to him.

"Good morning, Edward. Jasper," I said politely as Emmett stepped away. Jasper tipped his head in greeting and Edward held his hand out to me. I took it and he had me do a little spin in front of him as he grinned.

"Exquisite," he said with a wink and I blushed and swatted his arm as he laughed.

"Can I help you on board?" he asked and I nodded. He offered me his hand to keep my balance as I stepped down off the dock and onto one of the seats in the boat. He hopped in right after me and helped me off the seat.

"Are you thirsty or anything? We packed a cooler with some drinks and a few snacks," he said as he pointed toward the back of the boat. I shook my head.

"No, thanks. We just had breakfast," I replied honestly as I moved out of the way for Rose and Alice to climb in.

"Help yourself whenever you get thirsty or hungry," he said and I nodded and thanked him once again as he hopped back out of the boat to finish loading up their equipment.

"Hey, Bella. Can you shove this up front and tie it down with those straps?" Emmett asked as he passed me a giant inflated tube.

"Sure," I chuckled as I struggled to lift it over the parted windshield without toppling over. I really didn't have sea legs. Once it was strapped in I took the few steps back into the back of the boat and sat down on the opposite side of Alice.

"Everyone in?" Jasper asked as he hopped in the boat with a few life vests in his arms.

"Yep," Alice chirped.

"Hey, Ali... step up for a sec," he said as he dropped the life vests on the floor. She got up and moved over toward me and Jasper lifted the top of her seat and started putting the life vests in the hidden storage area.

"You know...I had to go all the way into town today to get a kid's life vest for you," he chuckled as he looked at her and I laughed as she glared at him.

"What? You're too small for all the ones we have at the resort," he laughed and she swatted him.

"You're gonna pay for that," she chuckled as she narrowed her eyes at him. He winked at her and I laughed again.

"Hey, switch seats with me," Edward said as he took my hand and pulled me up gently. I looked at him curiously and he shot me that heart stopping crooked grin.

"When Em takes off I'm going to slide towards the back, and if you're sitting there I'm going to squash you," he chuckled as he pointed to where I had been sitting and I nodded.

He took my previous seat and I sat on the long seat portion next to him. Alice and Jasper sat in a similar position on the opposite side of us, only she had her legs up on the long section and she was leaning back against him. They looked so cute together, and I started to wonder if she might have been right about her whole theory on how she would know "the one" when she found him.

"You guys ready?" Emmett asked as he started up the boat. Rosalie sat in the front passenger seat and pulled her sunglasses down over her eyes as she nodded.

"Ready!" we all hollered from the back, and with that Em started to take off. He went slow until he was away from the dock, and then he punched it, hurdling me backwards right into Edward.

"See what I mean?" he laughed as he wrapped his arms around me and helped me right myself. I laughed and nodded, deciding to just lean against him the way Alice was leaning on Jasper. It was too hard to fight the bouncing and force that continuously tried to push me backwards.

When Emmett finally got far enough away from shore, he slowed the boat to a stop and Edward patted the side of my arm.

"Watch out. I have to set up the tow line," he said and I nodded as I moved away.

He pulled his shirt off and I stared unabashedly at him. His skin was perfectly sun kissed. Not overly tan, and not ghostly white like mine. The perfect lines of his muscles were... mouthwatering. He caught me staring and chuckled lightly as he winked at me. I blushed furiously and looked away embarrassed.

"Edward, bro, you goin' first?" Emmett asked as he lifted a floor panel and then looked up at him.

"Yeah, sure," Edward replied as he hopped over the back seat and onto a platform at the back. He secured a rope there and tossed the handle into the water.

"Skis or board?" Emmett asked simply.

"Board," he replied quickly. "Jazz where's my vest?"

"Under my ass," Jasper laughed and he and Alice moved out of the way. Once he was all secured in his vest, he turned toward me.

"Sit in my seat so you don't topple out of the boat," he laughed and I glared at him as I tried not to laugh.

He tossed his board off the back of the boat, and then jumped off the platform into the water. My breath hitched in my throat when he resurfaced. The drops of water on his skin sparkled like diamonds and the sight of him was breathtaking. He was a freaking God. He attached the board to his feet and then grabbed the handle.

"Alright Em!" he called out and Emmett slowly lurched forward while looking back at Edward, pulling the tow line taut.

"PUNCH IT!" he hollered and Emmett did.

He rose straight out of the water, and a second later he was sliding fluidly across the top of the water. He made it look effortless as he hopped over the waves the boat was making behind us. He moved back and forth, in a zig zag pattern, every once in a while letting out an excited whooping noise. The sound of it made me smile.

Emmett made a turn, and Edward shot off to the side, almost parallel to the boat, and as Emmett straightened out, Edward did a flip as he hopped over the wake waves. After a few more minutes, Edward let go of the line and sank into the water.

"MAN DOWN!" Jasper yelled and Emmett slowed down, making a wide turn to double back as Jasper reached behind him and started pulling the line in.

When Emmett drifted back toward a bobbing Edward, Edward passed his board to Jasper and climbed back on board.

"Edward that was _awesome_!" Alice squealed and clapped as she laughed.

"Wanna try it?" he asked as he grinned and took off his life vest. She nodded excitedly.

"What do I do?" she asked as she stood and slipped out of her shorts.

"When you get the board attached, keep your knees bent, and let the rope pull you up from your side. Put your left foot in the front, and your right behind it," he said as he pulled out a smaller board and demonstrated for her as best he could.

"Don't make fun of me if I fall off," she warned and he smiled and shook his head.

"Alice, we all fell off at first. It takes a little practice," he said encouragingly.

Jasper helped her into her vest and she jumped off the back. He tossed the board into the water carefully, and she swam to it.

"You okay, Alice?" Edward asked as he watched her.

"I can't get it on my feet in the water!" she laughed and he hopped off the boat into the water and swam over to her. He helped her attach it, and then showed her how to position herself in the water before handing her the tow line handle.

"You ready?" he asked her once he was back on board.

"Yeah," she replied with a wave. Emmett lurched the boat forward until the line was almost completely taut.

"YELL WHEN YOU'RE READY!" Edward hollered to her.

"READY!" she hollered back, and Emmett punched the throttle. Alice went down immediately.

"Em double back!" Edward yelled as he pulled the line back in. Emmett did and as he drifted past her, Edward tossed her back the line.

It took a few tries, but Alice finally managed to stand up after about the fifth try, and she was doing great.

"WWOOOOOOOOOOO!" I yelled and waved to her from the inside of the boat. She squealed repeatedly and tossed her head back as she laughed.

"GO ALI!!!" Rosalie hollered.

"TRY TO JUMP A WAVE!" Jasper yelled to her and she did, but she ended up falling down.

"PIXIE DOWN!" Jasper yelled as we laughed. We doubled back until we were next to her.

"Wanna go again?" Jasper asked her and she shook her head as she passed Edward the board and then held her hands up to Jasper. He effortlessly pulled her up over the side of the boat.

"OHMYGODYOUGUYSHAVETOTRYTHAT!" she squealed quickly when he put her down.

"What do you say, Bella? Wanna try?" Edward asked as he grinned. I shook my head vehemently.

"No way," I laughed.

"Well if little one's not going, than I am," Emmett chuckled as he fished out some weird looking board.

"What's that?" I asked curiously.

"It's a knee board," he said as he tossed it into the water behind the boat. He quickly put his vest on and jumped into the water.

"Eddie, man the boat, bro. Jasper can't take turns the right way," he laughed and Jasper scowled at him. He quickly attached the board to him as he held onto the tow line handle. Rosalie wanted to sit where I had been sitting so I went up to take her spot as Edward started lurching the boat forward.

"GO!" Emmett yelled, and Edward punched the throttle after making sure I was sitting down. I looked back and watched Emmett get pulled out of the water, kneeling on the board, making the same zig zag pattern that Edward had done.

"You having fun?!" Edward shouted over the sound of the waves and air.

"Yeah!" I yelled back as I nodded and smiled.

"Wanna learn how to drive?!" he shouted.

"I might make him fall off!" I hollered back.

"Don't worry, I won't let you!" he shouted back as he waved me over and held his hand out to me. I took it and carefully crossed over to him. He settled me in front of him and placed my hands on the wheel. Everyone else was at the back of the boat, cheering Emmett on.

"Just don't make really sharp turns, it causes the line to go slack, and that's what makes us fall off," he said in my ear and I shivered as I nodded.

"Okay, we're going to make a turn," he said in my ear and I nodded as he placed his hands over mine on the wheel and guided me.

"You're doing great," he chuckled a while later and I laughed.

"I'm not really doing anything," I said as I smiled up at him.

"MAN DOWN!" Jasper yelled and I grimaced, wondering if I had caused it. Edward slowed the boat and doubled back.

"Sorry! Did I do that?" I laughed as we passed him.

"Nah! You did great! I let go!" he bellowed as he tossed his board to Jasper and then swam to the boat.

Emmett climbed back on board and headed back up to the front seat with Rosalie following behind him. Edward and I made our way back to our previous spots as Jasper got ready to hop into the water.

"What's he going to use?" I asked Edward curiously.

"Jasper always uses skis. He doesn't really care for any of the other stuff," he said as he got up to pass them to Jasper in the water.

Within minutes, Jasper was up and we were all cheering him on. I highly doubted I'd have a voice by the end of the day with all of the shouting I had been doing. When he was done and back on board, Rosalie decided to try out the tube. Edward changed out the tow line, and secured a clip to the tube and placed it in the water, but kept a hold of it.

"Come on Rosalie," he said as he waved her over. She climbed over the back and onto the platform. Edward helped her get situated on it and then he gave it a gentle push into the water.

"Hold on tight, Rosalie," he said as he climbed back over the seats. She smiled and nodded to him.

"Lemme know when you're ready, beautiful!" Emmett called back to her.

"I'm ready!" she called back.

Unlike how he had punched it for everyone else, he took off slowly until the line was taut and then gradually started going faster. It looked like so much fun as I waved back at her and she squealed excitedly.

"You sure you don't want to at least try that? That takes no effort at all," Edward said as he grinned and pointed toward Rose.

"I kinda do," I admitted and he grinned wider as he nodded.

"It's fun, I promise," he said as he moved toward Jasper and Alice. They moved out of the way and he took out another life vest before putting the seat back in place and sitting back down next to me.

"You're gonna go out on the raft?" Alice asked and I smiled as I nodded. She squealed and clapped happily.

When it was finally my turn, I was beyond nervous. Edward helped me into my vest and held the raft for me as I got onto it.

"How do I sit on this thing?" I asked nervously.

"However is comfortable for you. I usually sit Indian style," he said as he held onto my arm while I shifted around on it.

"Ready?" he asked as he eyed me cautiously.

"About as ready as I'll ever be," I admitted with a nervous chuckle. He laughed and gave me a gentle push into the water.

"Hold on tight, and yell when you're ready," he said and I nodded. As soon as the line was taut I yelled up to them and Emmett took off in the same way he had for Rose.

I squealed excitedly as he picked up speed and I bounced all over the place. It was exhilarating to feel the mist of the water and the breeze hitting my skin. Another boat blew by us, and the tube flew into the air as it hopped over a wake wave. I squealed and laughed hysterically, but when I looked back at the boat, it looked like Edward was about to have a heart attack by the look on his face before he dropped his head into his hand, and Jasper was yelling something in the direction of the boat that had passed us.

The boat flew by us one more time, but when the tube flew in the air and I squealed, it tilted backwards and I hit the water upside down. When I resurfaced, the salt water burned like hell as I coughed violently, trying to get it out of my lungs. Luckily I had enough sense to let go of the handles before I hit the water and got dragged through it. I was still coughing up a storm when they drifted up in front of me. Edward hopped off the side of the boat before it had even stopped moving and swam over to me quickly.

"Are you alright?" he asked with a panicked tone.

"Yeah," I croaked and coughed some more, spitting out the water that had come back up.

"I'm gonna kill that stupid fucker when we get back to shore," he said angrily as he gently pushed the hair away from my face and looked at me worriedly.

"I'm fine, really. It was fun until I hit the water," I laughed and coughed again.

"You alright, little one?" Emmett asked as he held his hands out to me. I nodded and grabbed hold of his wrists so he could pull me out of the water. Edward swam around the back of the boat and climbed back on board.

"You sure?" he asked worriedly as he set me down in the boat. I nodded and started undoing the buckles on the vest. Edward slid it off my shoulders and tossed it back into the storage area under Jasper's seat.

"Here, drink some water," he said as he handed me a bottle of cold water.

"Really? Water? I think I inhaled enough of it," I laughed and he chuckled as I took the bottle from him. He led me back over to our seats and I sat down.

"You alright, sister?" Rose asked and I nodded.

"I'm fine, I swear," I said sincerely, looking at all of their worried faces.

"Edward, what time do you have to be back?" Emmett asked as he sat on the top of his seat in front.

"Not 'til around eight. Mike and Eric are covering the bar 'til then," he said as he dug around in the cooler.

"It's only after three. You up for some Mezcalito's?" he asked and Alice, Rose, and I looked at them curiously.

"Sure. Haven't seen Uncle Marcus in a while," he replied as he pulled a beer out of the cooler.

"You want something other than water?" he asked as he tilted his head to look back at me.

"What have you got in there?" I asked as I tried to peer into it.

"Wine coolers, beer, soda, some fresh fruit," he listed off and the looked at me.

"What kind of wine coolers?" I asked and he smiled.

"Blue Hawaiians, Fuzzy Navels, and, Margaritas. What's your poison?" he chuckled.

"Blue Hawaiian," I replied and he passed me one.

"Rose, Alice? You want one?" he asked as he looked up at them.

"Fuzzy Navel," Alice said and then thanked him as he passed her one.

"Are the margarita ones good?" Rosalie asked.

"They're alright. Uncle Marcus makes the best damn margarita known to man though," he chuckled.

"I'll take a Blue Hawaiian," she said with a smile and he passed her one.

"Thanks," she said simply.

"Anytime," he replied as he sat back down next to me.

"You ladies hungry?" Emmett asked and we all nodded.

"Mezcalito's it is," he said as he nodded and started the boat back up.

"Where is this place?" I asked Edward curiously.

"It's on the south shore of the island," he said and then took a sip of his beer.

"And your uncle owns it?" I asked as I looked up at him.

"He's not really our Uncle. He's an old family friend, but we call him Uncle Marcus," he said, and I was momentarily caught off guard by how his thumb had started caressing the side of my arm. I looked back up at him, but it didn't seem like he was aware that he was doing it when he looked back down at me.

"What's wrong?" he asked as his eyebrows pulled together, creating the cutest little crease between them.

"Nothing," I replied sincerely with a smile and he grinned.

A short while later, we pulled up to a series of boat slips and Jasper hopped out to tie the boat to the dock. Emmett killed the motor and hopped out, holding a hand out to help Rose out. Edward hopped out next and held his hand out for me, which I took gratefully. Once we were all on the dock, we started strolling up the beach toward a giant hut with a palm thatched roof.

"No! That can't be my long lost nephews that I see wandering ashore!" someone bellowed from under the shade of the hut.

"Uncle Marcus! How goes it?!" Emmett bellowed back as we all laughed and quickened our pace.

"Not bad, not bad at all. Who are these lovely ladies that you three have obviously taken prisoner?" he laughed and we snickered.

"This is Rosalie, Alice, and that's Bella, otherwise known as little one," Emmett chuckled and I glared playfully.

"How on Earth did you all manage to get tangled up with these three brats?" he joked as they scoffed.

"They're staying at the resort for a few weeks, you nosy old man," Emmett chuckled as he put an arm around him and clapped him on the back.

"I'm not nosy, I'm just trying to warn these beautiful ladies of your unworthiness," he laughed and we all snickered.

"Nice, there's nothing better than your family considering you unworthy," Jasper chuckled and Marcus shot him a sardonic grin.

"It's true. When in the presence of such beauty, you should be bowing, not acting like baffoons," he said as he bowed before us and gently shook each of our hands.

"It sincerely is a pleasure to meet all of you," he said as he backed up.

"Likewise," we answered in unison and then snickered as we looked at each other.

"Smooth Marcus. Way to make us look like imbeciles," Edward laughed as he shook his head.

"Diane! Look what the tide washed ashore!" Marcus hollered as he turned away from us.

"Marcus, I swear if it's another one of your message in a bottle jokes you're gonna get it!" a woman hollered back as she came wandering out of what I'm assuming was a kitchen area.

She was wiping her hands off on an apron as she walked and as soon as she lifted her gaze she froze and a wide grin started to creep across her lips.

"I see you three have brought company. To what do we owe the pleasure?" she asked pleasantly as she continued to walk towards us.

"Aunt Di, this is Rosalie, Alice, and Bella. They're friends of ours, and guests at the resort," Emmett said and she smiled even wider as she looked at the three of us.

"Please, please, come in and have a seat," she said graciously as she gestured toward a table large enough to seat all of us. There were a few people sitting around the bar, watching a TV that was mounted in the corner above the kitchen doors.

"Marcus please tell me you haven't lost your manners and you offered them a drink," she chastised. Marcus's smile fell a little as the guys burst out laughing.

"Who looks like the baffoon now, Uncle Marcus?" Jasper laughed.

"Cork it, young one," he said before looking at us.

"What can I get you ladies to drink?" he said with an overly sweet smile.

"I hear you make a mean margarita," Rosalie said quickly.

"Best around," he said smugly. "A full round then?" he asked and we all nodded.

"Coming right up," he said and he turned to walk toward the bar as Diane sat down at the table.

"How long are you ladies staying?" she asked kindly.

"Four weeks," Alice chirped.

"Wow, such a long vacation," Diane mused.

"It's more of a rescue mission for our friend Bella here," Rosalie chuckled.

"_Rose_!" I whisper yelled as I jabbed an elbow in her side. She grimaced and looked at me apologetically as I rolled my eyes.

Diane eyed me curiously for a minute, and I swear it was almost as if she could see right through me as I plastered a sheepish grin on my face. After a few moments she reached across the table and patted my hand.

"It's alright, honey. True love heals all the wounds created by illusions of it," she said warmly and I stared at her with wide eyes.

What is with this family and the ability to see straight through you? First Emmett, now his Aunt. I was brought out of my stupor by the sensation of Edward's thumb caressing the side of my arm again. I looked over to him, but his attention was focused on a conversation with Jasper across from him.

"One round of margaritas," Marcus chimed as he placed a tray with a pitcher and glasses in the center of the table.

Diane started filling the glasses and handing them out. I didn't miss the fact that she glanced at Edward and then winked at me as she handed me a glass. I mumbled my thanks to her as I took the glass and immediately took a sip. It definitely was the best margarita I had ever tasted.

"Aunt Di, please tell me you have fixins' for some fajitas," Emmett said with a pleading look. She laughed and nodded to him.

"You guys all up for some fajitas?" he asked all of us. I nodded dumbly as everyone else agreed.

"I'll bring em right out," she said with a smile as she got up from the table.

"I love this song!" Alice squealed as Bob Marley's "Jammin" came through the speakers above us. She jumped from the table and led Jasper off to an open area and started dancing with him. Em and Rosalie quickly followed them, and Edward looked at me.

"Don't even look at me," I chuckled. "You'll be limping for the rest of the week."

He laughed and nodded as he lifted his glass, his thumb still lightly caressing the side of my arm as his arm rested on the back of my chair.

"So rescue mission, huh? What's that about?" he asked as he gazed at me intently. I bit my lip as I contemplated whether or not to explain it. He would probably think I was insane and would run down the dock, hop in the boat, and strand all of us here on the opposite side of the island.

"It's a long story," I sighed and looked down at the table, tracing patterns in the wood grain with my finger.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, it's okay," he said softly as he leaned toward me.

"It's not that I don't want to, just... maybe later okay? It really is a long story," I said as I looked at him apologetically. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear and nodded.

"Whenever, and if ever you feel up to it, I'll listen," he said sincerely and I smiled slightly.

"Thanks." He nodded once more and picked his glass back up.

"You're a little burnt," he said quietly a few minutes later.

"Huh?" I mumbled as I tried to strain my neck to see where he was looking.

"Your shoulders are a little burnt. Does it hurt?" he asked as he gently passed the back of his hand over the reddened skin.

"No, but I can feel how warm it is compared to your hand. That's gonna suck in the morning," I chuckled.

"Hold that thought, I'll be right back," he said as he hopped up from his chair and disappeared into the kitchen area.

I sat and watched Alice, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett dance to another Bob Marley song and smiled at them. They looked so happy, and I was glad that they were enjoying themselves. I had really put them through hell the last two years. They deserved this vacation way more than I ever would. Edward came out a few minutes later, holding an unmarked bottle in his hand. As soon as he sat down he popped the top open on the bottle and squirted some in his hands.

"Turn a little and lift your hair," he said gently, and I did.

"It's going to feel a little cold," he said and I nodded, bracing myself for it. I only jumped a little when I felt it.

"Sorry," he said quickly as he started gently rubbing the ointment on my shoulders.

"It's okay. What is that stuff?" I asked curiously.

"It's Aunt Di's miracle cure for sunburn," he chuckled. "I really don't know what's in it aside from aloe. She won't tell us."

"Do they live on the island?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah, they live a little ways down the road, right on the beach. All done," he replied as I turned back.

"If it's not too personal, how did your family come to own and _island_?" I chuckled. He laughed and shook his head.

"It's been in my Uncle Carlisle's family for generations. Pretty much as far back as we can trace it. It's been tradition for it to be passed on to the first male born son, and when he gets married, he gifts it to his bride on their wedding day. The island has changed names quite a few times over the centuries," he chuckled.

"That's sweet," I said and then felt incredibly stupid.

"Thank God Emmett broke the tradition," he said with a serious expression and I looked at him curiously.

"Emmett got married on a whim to his high school sweetheart, practically right out of high school. My Aunt and Uncle weren't very happy about that, as they really didn't care for her to begin with, but Emmett swore up and down they were in love. A year after Emmett's company took off, she bailed on him. She ran off with one of his foremen and took him for half of everything he had," he said as an array of emotions crossed his expression.

Pain, frustration, anger, sadness. They passed one right after the other, and I wondered if it was because of what happened to Emmett that Edward had veered away from getting involved with anyone.

"That's horrible. I can't picture someone hurting him like that," I said sadly and Edward nodded.

"What made him break the tradition?" I asked curiously.

"Honestly, I think it was that even though he claimed to have been in love, he doubted it on some level. Their relationship had never been... solid I guess you can say. They had their ups and downs throughout high school. I think that may be why he chose to break the tradition. Well that and my Uncle Carlisle flat out telling him to dream on," he laughed and I joined in.

"Do you think he's going to gift it to his next wife?" I asked curiously and he shook his head.

"No, Emmett doesn't want it. After everything that happened between him and Lauren, he told them that he doesn't deserve to carry on the tradition. They argued with him over it, but he vehemently refused. Every now and again they get into another debate over it, but he still refuses to this day," he said solemnly.

"So what's going to happen to the island then? Someone has to take it over," I replied as my eye brows furrowed together.

"It will probably be left to Emmett to continue to run the resort, but the tradition of gifting it away will be gone. It might even go to Jasper since he would be the closest heir. We haven't really talked about it, so I have no idea," he said as he shrugged.

"Food's up kids," Diane called as she walked out of the kitchen carrying a large tray filled with food.

"It smells delicious," I commented honestly with a smile. Diane smiled gratefully at me as she placed the tray down in the center of the table as everyone came back and sat down.

"Dig in, and enjoy. I'll bring you all a fresh pitcher of margaritas," she said and she walked off.

"Damn, I've been craving these things for months," Emmett said as he grabbed a plate and started loading up. I laughed and shook my head.

"Emmett, how long have you been here? You could have come here at any time," I chuckled.

"Actually, I just got here a few days ago. My summer just started, and I haven't been able to swing by here yet with settling in and all," he said and I nodded.

"When did you get here, Jasper?" Alice asked as she started filling her plate.

"I came in a few weeks ago. I wasn't supposed to get here until next week, but I finished some projects early so I was able to fly out sooner," he replied with a smile.

"What do you do, Jasper?" I asked curiously.

"I'm an architect. I freelance occasionally for a few companies, but I've been working with mainly Emmett for a while now," he responded and shot me a lazy grin.

"Shit, speaking of which. Jasper, remember that application I e-mailed you about a week ago for a studio?" Emmett asked and he nodded.

"That's for Alice," he laughed and Jasper's surprised eyes flickered to her.

"You're the owner of Brand A designs?" he chuckled and she laughed and nodded.

"Small world," he chuckled and we all laughed.

"Get this, man. Rosalie is R. Hale. _The _R. Hale," Emmett said excitedly and Edward and Jasper looked at her with stupefied faces as she laughed.

"Wait, wait... I have one more," he chuckled as he waved his arms around and I wanted to slide under the table.

"When I was at the house last night, Mom was reading this book right? It was called Death of a _Swan_," he said as he looked at me and I paled, wondering how the hell he came to the conclusion that it was written by me.

"I was curious about it, because she has a series of these books written by the same author, Marie Sanders. I looked her up online and guess who's picture popped up?" he laughed and I wanted to die. Edward and Jasper looked at him, waiting for him to answer as I contemplated my chances of successfully running away.

"Who?" Edward asked, unable to take the suspense any longer.

"Bella!" he boomed as he laughed and their gazes shot to me as I blushed furiously and tried to slide under the table.

"You're Marie Sanders?" Edward asked incredulously and I nodded slightly, avoiding their penetrating gazes and ignoring the laughter of my best friends and Emmett.

"You're my Aunt's favorite author," Jasper chuckled and I blushed even more.

"I'm gonna kill Angela," I muttered under my breath.

"Who's Angela?" Edward asked as I rubbed my temples.

"My agent," I muttered.

"Oh, Bella. So there's one picture of you out there. It's not the end of the world," Rosalie chuckled and I shot her a glare.

"Easy for you to say, there aren't any of you floating around the internet," I grumbled.

"Oh yes there are," she laughed as she rolled her eyes. "They just aren't associated with my name. They're all under Lillian Moore, and I'm usually referred to as a sales representative."

"Why would they be under that name?" I asked curiously. "I never knew that."

"Because that's the name I give during the auto shows. I don't want people to know who I really am, just like you with Marie Sanders. Alice is the only one in the mainstream media going by her real name," she said seriously.

"Yeah, well I can't fake a name on the runway, and I can't hide from the photographers either," Alice laughed and I chuckled lightly.

"You did wear a wig once though," I laughed and she cracked up.

"Yeah...yeah I did," she chuckled.

"So your Aunt likes my books, huh?" I asked, looking at Edward. He grinned and nodded.

"Yeah, she reads them all the time. The first one she bought is falling apart. I think it's called Under the Surface or something like that," he said as he nodded.

"Beneath the Surface," I chuckled. "That was my first one."

"I don't know how she continues to read it. The binding is ripped, and the pages are about ready to fall out," he laughed.

"Can't look any worse than my high school copy of 'Wuthering Heights'," I chuckled.

"Oh man, you should see that damn thing," Rosalie guffawed. "She had to use Elmer's glue to reattach the pages a few years ago."

"Why don't you just buy a new copy?" Jasper asked curiously. I shrugged.

"I don't know. It's kind of a sentimental treasure, and I can't bear to part with it," I admitted and he nodded slightly.

"Are you working on any projects now?" Edward asked and I shook my head.

"No, my last one was just turned in before we left," I replied after swallowing my bite of food.

"When is it due to hit the stores? My Aunt will probably be the first in line," he chuckled.

"Not until September. I'll send her a signed copy if she'd like," I offered and he grinned and nodded.

"She'd love that, but I'm not going to tell her," he replied and I nodded as I pushed my plate away and sank back in my chair.

"Are you all filled up?" Diane asked as she came to clear away our empty plates. A chorus of gratitude, compliments, and affirmations erupted simultaneously around the table in response. She came back with Marcus and they sat down with us after the table had been cleared.

"You boys better bring these wonderful girls back to visit us while they're here," Diane said as she pointed at them. They all chuckled and nodded.

"Have you all met Esme and Carlisle yet?" she asked us and we shook our heads.

"Shame on you boys. Esme would be delighted to meet them," she reprimanded and we snickered.

"They just came in yesterday, Aunt Di. Relax," Jasper chimed in.

"When do they leave for Argentina? Carlisle was saying something about it last week, but he didn't mention when," Marcus asked as he draped an arm around Diane.

"Umm...they left this morning," Emmett said with a slight grimace and Diane clucked her tongue as she shook her head at him.

"She'll be disappointed if she misses out on meeting them," she said as she looked at him and pointed at us.

"Does she meet all the guests?" I asked curiously, and she smiled at me and shook her head.

"No, but you three are different. You're a delight, and she'd greatly miss the opportunity of getting to know each of you," she said sincerely.

"I'm sure they'll be back before they leave," Edward said reassuringly.

"If not, you all will have to come back sometime soon," she said as she smiled at us. We all looked at each other smiling and then nodded to her.

"You guys ready to head back? I'm dyin' to hit the pool. It's hotter than Hades out today," Emmett grumbled as he pulled on the front of his shirt.

We all nodded and stood from the table. Marcus and Diane walked us out, and after numerous hugs and thanks we headed back to the boat. The guys helped us back in, and Alice dug through her bag, pulling out our cover ups and handing them to us. I was surprised to see that neither of them had burned yet as I had. Edward took his seat and I threw my legs up along the seat as I leaned back against him.

"So what's your new book going to be called?" he asked and I tilted my head up to look at him.

"Fading Light," I responded, suddenly wishing my titles weren't so damn depressing. Hell, I wish my books weren't so depressing. The only one that didn't fit the line up was the first one. That one was just about a homely teenage girl, me, overcoming what people said she couldn't do.

"Did you always want to be an author?" he asked curiously. I nodded.

"Pretty much. When I was a kid I would write short stories constantly. My teachers in grade school loved them, but when I got to high school only one teacher pushed me to be more ambitious than just short stories. The rest kept telling me to get my head out of the clouds. That's when I started working on Beneath the Surface. My family wasn't very thrilled with how much time I spent working on it. They, and most of my teachers, really wanted me to focus more on my school work so I could get into a good college and have a "legitimate career" as they called it," I replied as a flash of anger shot through me.

"They should have been more supportive. You've apparently done really well for yourself," he said comfortingly.

"Supportive isn't exactly the word I would use for my family," I grumbled.

"How would you describe them?" he asked and I thought about it for a minute, only coming up with one word.

"Dysfunctional," I snorted and he laughed. "No really. There's probably a portrait of my family next to the definition in the dictionary," I chuckled and he laughed harder.

"No family is perfect, Bella," he said sincerely when he composed himself.

"Well mine is... perfectly dysfunctional," I chortled and he laughed again.

"How old were you when you first got published?" he asked curiously.

"Eighteen. It was right before my nineteenth birthday. That was probably the best birthday I've ever had," I said as I smiled at the memory.

"Did you celebrate it?" he asked and I turned slightly toward him as I nodded.

"Yeah. Alice and Rosalie threw me a _huge _combination surprise party. It was hilarious when I walked in and saw different signs saying either congratulations or happy birthday," I snickered. "They even had two different cakes made."

"So you never went to college?" he asked and I shook my head.

"Not really. I took a few creative writing classes at a community college, but that's about it. What about you? Did you ever venture off to college?" I asked curiously.

"I went to the University of Alaska for two years, but then quit and came here to help my Aunt and Uncle start up the resort," he said as he shook his head.

"What did you major in?" I asked.

"Liberal Arts. I didn't know what I wanted to do, so I dabbled a little in various areas while I tried to decide," he replied and I nodded. I knew how that felt. If I hadn't of been published I had absolutely no idea what I would have tried to go to school for. I still wouldn't know what else to do with myself.

"Goddamn that prick!" Emmett hollered and our gazes shot to him.

"What's up?" Edward asked as Emmett slowed the boat.

"Yorkie put his piece of crap in our slot again!" Emmett boomed.

"Pull up to the dock, I have business to take care of with him anyway," Edward said as he slid out from behind me.

Emmett pulled up to the dock and Edward hopped out and jogged down the dock. Jasper tied up the boat and he and Emmett helped us all get out. We each started taking pieces of equipment from them as they passed them to us, and stacked them on the end of the dock for them. Edward came back just as we were finishing unloading the boat.

"He's moving it now. I warned him the next time he puts it there I'm sinking it," he said with a wicked grin.

"Did you say anything to him about earlier?" Jasper asked and Edward nodded as he picked up the skis and wake board.

"Yeah, I told him that if he ever pulls that shit again his face will be on a milk carton somewhere," he chuckled and the guys laughed. Alice, Rosalie and I just looked at each other and shrugged.

"Why don't you guys head up to the pool. We're gonna put this stuff away and then meet you up there," Edward said as he brushed my hair over my shoulder.

"You sure you don't want any help?" I offered, not wanting them to have to lug all that stuff back up by themselves.

"Yeah I'm sure. You're on vacation. We're not about to put you to work," he chuckled and I laughed as I nodded.

"I'll bring you a drink on my way up. What would you like?" he asked.

"Just a coke. I've had enough alcohol for the afternoon," I snickered.

"Coke it is... I'll see ya up there," he replied with a wink as I nodded.

"Come on, Bells. That cool water is callin' my name," Alice sang as she linked her arm with mine and lead me away from the dock.

Thankfully it seemed that most of the guests were on the beach as the pool was practically empty. There were only a handful of people lounging on chairs in the sun, and one or two people in the water. Alice, Rosalie and I quickly shed our cover ups and shorts and walked into the water. The coolness felt amazing on my overheated skin. After dunking ourselves, we lounged against the side of the pool together.

"So...I think I have a problem," I said suddenly, then wished I had a working filter between my thoughts and my vocal cords.

"What's up?" Rosalie asked as she moved away from the wall and slid under the water up to her shoulders.

"I'm attracted to Edward... like seriously attracted to him," I admitted, knowing now that I opened my mouth in the first place, neither of them would let it go.

"So? What's your problem?" she asked sincerely and I stared at her incredulously.

"Uhh my problem is that I live in Seattle and he lives here. Not to mention that someone as perfect as he is would never look at me the way I'm blatantly ogling him," I said seriously.

"Bella... you should have seen him on that boat the first time you flew over that wave. I swear the man was about to drop dead from a heart attack. And I think he might have actually had one when you flew off the tube the second time," Alice said as she joined Rosalie in front of me.

"He was probably worried I'd get hurt and sue," I laughed and they both scoffed.

"You suing the resort was the last thing on his mind," she said as she shook her head.

"Whatever. It doesn't change the fact that even if he somehow did manage to see me that way, this isn't something I can do. I can't get involved with him knowing that I'm leaving in a few weeks," I said honestly.

"Bells, there's nothing wrong with enjoying the time you can have together. Who knows, maybe things will work out somehow and it will last longer than just while we're here," Rosalie replied quickly.

"That's easy for you to say when you know that Emmett lives close to where we do. Even Jasper lives just a state away. Edward lives an entire day of travel away. That can't work. It's impossible," I grumbled.

"You never know unless you try. Don't fight it, just follow your heart. That's the best advice I can give you," Alice said encouragingly.

"Why can't things just ever be easy for me for once? It always has to be so damn complicated," I whined as I slid lower into the water.

"Look at it this way, girlie. Either you can go with it and walk away knowing that you at least gave it a shot, or you can fight it and walk away always wondering what could have been," Rosalie said and I looked at her as I tried to let that sink in.

"Aren't either of you scared of what you're running into head first?" I asked curiously. Rosalie nodded and Alice shook her head. Great.

"I'm terrified. You know how I am when I try to picture a relationship lasting longer than a few weeks or so. I'm terrified of being hurt, but I'm at least willing to give it a shot. I don't want to be sitting alone, twenty years from now thinking about the time we spent here and wondering where my life would have gone if I had just taken the chance when it was right in front of me," Rose said and I nodded.

"How come you're not afraid?" I asked Alice.

"Because I know it will work out. All of it. I always told you that I'd know, and deep down I do. It may not be an easy road for us to travel for a while, but I know it will work out in the long run. I can't explain it, but it's like my soul knows that Jasper's is its other half," she said confidently.

"You and your psychic ways," I laughed.

"It has nothing to do with my strange occasional foresight crap. It's the pull I feel toward him. I felt it the second I laid eyes on him. It's hard to describe, but the best I can come up with is like a magnetic feeling that constantly tries to draw me towards him," she said and my eyes widened significantly as I stared at the shimmering water. That's exactly what I felt every time I've been around Edward. It's like gravity pulling me closer, but it's never close enough.

"What?" Rose asked and I looked up at her.

"Huh?" I questioned, thinking I had missed something.

"You just said something about gravity," she said and my eyes widened even further.

"I said that out loud?" I asked, confused. They both nodded.

"I was thinking that what she's describing is like gravity," I said distantly.

"You feel it too, don't you?" Alice asked and I looked at her warily as I nodded.

"I KNEW IT!" she squealed and Rosalie laughed.

"So what do I do now?" I asked, completely unsure of what I was contemplating getting myself into. They looked at each other and smiled before looking at me and answering in unison.

"You go for it."

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**AN: Reviews are better than margaritas and fajitas...and definitely better than sunburn! Leave one..I'm still healing from my most recent case of sunburn ::pout:: ~Jersey~**


	6. 1 Tequila 2 Tequila 3 Tequila Love?

**AN: Okay I seriously need some like Addiction to Writing and Posting support group thing. Oh forget this... ::stands from desk chair:: "My name is Jersey and I'm an addict. Enjoy the chapter." **

**Oh by the way...if any of you happen to know of any good reggae or island music...can you drop some suggestions in a review? I've noticed that listening to those types of music motivate me to write for this story and my collection is driving me nuts on repeat. Thanks so much! **

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**Disclaimer: I'm insane...quite obviously... but I'm not delusional enough yet to claim these characters as my own. They still belong to SM ^_^**

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One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila... Love?

BPOV

When the guys finally made it back up to the pool, we spent a while swimming, playing a few rounds of chicken, and tossing a beach ball around before Edward had to head off to get ready for his shift at the bar. Emmett and Jasper joined us for dinner at the buffet center after we had all showered and changed, and during dinner, Edward dropped me off one of his signature Brunette Goddesses. He only stayed for a few minutes before heading back down to the bar. When I saw him, I became even more confused than I had been earlier. Emmett and Jasper didn't help my confusion either when they kept casting me those strange looks that seem to be genetically linked to their family.

Each time I saw Edward, that pull got stronger, and I was beginning to wonder if at some point I'd be unable to fight it even if I tried to. I was still in limbo on that, completely unable to decide one way or the other if that was something I could get involved in. I was worried that my already damaged heart would be turned to dust if it ended badly, if it was even possible to have it begin at all. I couldn't understand how someone like him would ever look at me in anything more than just a friendly way.

If he was a ladies man, I'd be able to understand it a bit better, but based on what Jasper and Emmett had said, and Kelly as well, I couldn't figure it out at all. For a fleeting moment I worried that he might have seen my success as the appealing factor, but I quickly dismissed that thought. He truly didn't seem the type, and for crying out loud his family owned an entire_ island_. The idea of him wanting me for my money was down right laughable.

After dinner I parted ways with Alice and Rosalie and went to say goodnight to him down at the bar. He caught sight of me as he looked up from the conversation he had been having with a guy at the bar and smiled. He said something else to the person and then walked toward the far corner of the bar where I was approaching.

"Hey stranger, to what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked and I smiled as I blushed.

"I just came to say goodnight, and to thank you again for the drink. You didn't have to do that," I said, still blushing.

"It was my pleasure, besides, it gave me a reason to come see you for a few minutes. I would have brought you another one but it got a little busy down here after the sun set," he said and I bit my lip to fight off the cheesy grin tugging at my lips.

"So did you have fun today?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, it was great. I never pictured myself having enough cahones to get out on the water like that," I chuckled.

"I told you I'd get you out on that water…though afterward I spent a good portion of this afternoon regretting having you get on that tube to start with," he mused.

"Oh get over it. It was just a little water," I scoffed and he shrugged as he nodded.

"You do know that it's entirely possible to drown in just a few inches of water, don't you?" he smirked and I rolled my eyes at him.

"I don't think even I'm clumsy enough to be able to do that…unless I like knocked myself out in the shower and my hair clogged the drain or something completely crazy like that," I laughed and his head fell forward as he shook it.

"Remind me to invent some type of safety device to prevent that scenario just for you," he laughed and I scrunched my face up at him.

"Very funny. Laugh it up there Chuckles McGee."

"Sorry, but with all the comments you've made on your luck and accident prone nature…I have to wonder if there's more truth than humor to the things you say," he chuckled and I shrugged as I nodded.

"It's possible," I chortled.

A somewhat awkward silence fell over us, and every time I glanced up at him, there was something in his eyes that I couldn't define. I didn't know what it was, but it made me self conscious and I found myself biting my lip nervously. After what seemed like an eternity, but was only really probably the span of a minute or two at most, he broke his intense gaze and cleared his throat.

"Here, Aunt Di wanted me to give this to you in case you burn again," he said as he reached down and picked up the unmarked bottle and handed it to me.

"That was nice of her. Tell her I said thank you," I said gratefully, blushing slightly at his lack of saying my when referring to his Aunt.

_Oh for crying out loud...get over it! To him she's just Aunt Di...he doesn't have to clarify that she's **his** family every single time he refers to her!_

"I'll be sure to do that," he said as he smiled.

"Well I should probably head back before Ali and Rose send out a search party," I snickered and he chuckled.

"I'm sure it wouldn't take them that long to find you...this island isn't all that big, and I'm fairly certain you wouldn't hot wire one of our boats," he chuckled and I laughed.

"Knowing my luck, I would electrocute myself if I tried," I joked, getting him to laugh once again.

_God how I love that sound!_

"Hey Edward, when ya get a minute could ya grab me another beer?" the guy he had been talking to called and Edward looked at him and nodded.

"Thanks man," he said and Edward turned back to me.

"I should probably get back to work. Enjoy the rest of your night," he said and I nodded.

"You too. Goodnight, Edward," I said as I started to back away.

"Sweet dreams, Bella," he said as he winked and stood from where he had been leaning on the bar.

_Oh I'm sure they will be if you're in them..._

I blushed and smiled as I waved and turned away. I walked back to the villa feeling like a twelve year old whose crush just asked them for a pencil in class. Rosalie and Alice were in the hot tub again, so I changed quickly and walked out onto the deck to join them.

"Damn girl...we thought you might have tripped and fell in the ocean or some shit," Rose laughed and Alice giggled.

"Ha ha, Rose, _very_ funny," I said sarcastically as I slipped into the water. It burned like hell on my arms so I kept them out of the water and resting on the edge of the tub.

"So what was Eduardo up to?" she asked as she rested her head back against the edge and Alice and I chuckled.

"Working the bar, but you already knew that. He gave me that sunburn ointment Diane makes, we talked for a few minutes and then I came back," I replied and then yawned. As hyper as I was inside my head, my body was freaking exhausted.

"How in the hell did you burn even though you were wearing SPF 70? You even put more of it on out on the water," Alice asked as her perfectly manicured eyebrows furrowed at me.

"I'm practically a damn albino, Ali. What do you think happens when I'm out in the sun?" I laughed and she snorted.

"I figured 70 would be enough for you to get a slight tan without burning. Guess I should have gone with the parka and umbrella instead," she laughed and I chuckled.

"That would have been a sight for the guys to see," Rose guffawed.

"Sounds like a plan for the next outing, cause this shit hurts," I chuckled. "Alright...I'm done roasting. My skin is hot enough as it is. I'm heading in," I said as I stood and stepped out of the tub.

"Night Bells," they both called.

"G'nite...don't get too soggy in there," I chuckled as I walked away.

I took a quick shower and tossed a tube top on to avoid having tank top straps irritate my reddened and sore shoulders. I applied some of the ointment before climbing into bed where I rolled around restlessly, completely unable to fall asleep. My giddy mindset was preventing my exhaustion from pulling me into the dark serenity of sleep.

Around midnight I snuck out of my room, cautious not to wake either Alice or Rosalie as I tiptoed to the fridge in the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of water. As I stood in the kitchen, looking out the sliding glass doors at the palm trees flowing in the breeze under the moonlight and thinking about Edward, I heard my phone's ringtone blaring from my room. I dashed down the hall on my toes, eager to shut it off before it woke either Alice or Rose, not even bothering to look at the caller id before flipping it open.

"Hello?" I asked breathlessly.

"Bells?" _his_ voice came across and I dropped the phone. It took me a minute to get my bearings together to pick it back up.

"Bella? Are you there?" he asked.

"Yeah. What do you want, Jacob?" I asked icily.

"Where are you? I stopped by the house but you weren't there," he said and I rolled my eyes as I sat down on the bed.

"I don't live there anymore," I said, deciding not to say anything else on the matter.

"Oh," he said and then was silent for a minute. "Where are you living now?"

"That's really none of your concern. What do you want, Jacob? I'm tired," I grumbled, wishing he would just spit out whatever he needed to say.

"Um…listen. Can we meet somewhere? I need to talk to you," he said sounding completely unsure of himself and what he was requesting of me.

"Sorry, I can't. I'm on vacation. You can either say what you need to now, or we can just end this call. I really don't see why you're calling me anyhow," I said, fighting the urge to just snap the phone shut. I really didn't care to hear what he had to say anyhow. He sighed and went silent for a few more moments before speaking again.

"Well when are you coming back?" he asked and I rolled my eyes.

"Again...none of your concern. Either spit it out or I'm hanging up. If you need money, you can bark up someone else's tree because you won't get a damn dime out of me. If you need some place to stay, I suggest calling your father, because I don't have the room...and even if I did I'd sooner let a hobo move in with me than you. So which is it? Even though you have my answer," I said angrily, wishing he would just get on with it so this call would end.

"No, no...that's not it. It's neither of those. I don't need money or a place to stay," he said frantically and then sighed. "Bells, I made a mistake. A _huge_ mistake," he started and I cut him off.

"Jacob, I can't do this," I said angrily as I got off the bed and started pacing the floor.

"Bella, please just hear me out. For one minute, please," he pleaded. When I didn't respond he took it as his opportunity to speak.

"I don't know what I was thinking. I don't know what the hell was going through my head. You were... are, the best thing that has ever happened to me. I don't know why it took me so long to see it, but I do now. I treated you like shit, and I'm sorry for that. So sorry. I love you, Bella. I think I was just scared because I loved you so much, but it never seemed like you cared for me the way I did for you. It made me angry, and I took it out on you in the worst possible way. I hurt you because I couldn't handle how I felt, and I was wrong." "

Just because you didn't respond to me the way I thought you should have, I know now that it wasn't because you didn't love me. You are your father's daughter after all. I should have had different expectations. I should have been more understanding, but I wasn't. I'm so sorry. Can… is there any way you can give me another chance?" he asked hesitantly after rambling for the better part of ten minutes.

"Bella?" he asked when I hadn't answered. I couldn't bring myself to answer him. Tears had welled up in my eyes. They weren't happy or sad tears. They were angry tears. _Furious_ tears.

"Bella...please say something," he pleaded, and I broke.

"_Fuck you_," I spat. "Jacob, fuck you for doing this. _My father's daughter_? What the fuck kind of shit is that?! Look, I'm sorry that I couldn't love you the way you wanted me to, but I did love you. Key word here..._did_. I don't anymore. I've spent two fucking years wallowing in my own self sustained misery from what _you _did. How fucking _dare_ you bring your _skank_ to _my _home with you just to hurt me. I had to move out of _my _home because I couldn't keep reliving that goddamn day over and over again. No, Jacob. Fuck no I won't give you another chance," I ranted furiously.

"Bella...Bells, please. I'm begging you. I swear I will never hurt you again. I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Just please give me another chance. I promise you won't regret it," he pleaded.

"It's too late. I already regret it. I regret ever allowing us to be anything more than friends. I regret ever taking you back after the first time you cheated on me. I regret taking you back every other time after that. I regret spending the last two years of my life holed up in my shit-hole apartment feeling sorry for myself every moment of the day. I won't regret not repeating those mistakes. No Jacob. It's over, all of it. Don't call me again," I said sternly and then slammed my phone shut.

I paced the floor for a few minutes angrily, and nearly screamed when my phone started ringing again. I ripped the battery off the back of it, refusing to open it to shut it off, and stormed over to the closet. I pulled out a t-shirt and went over to the dresser to pull out a pair of shorts. I didn't care if they matched or not…it was dark out and I needed to go for a walk before I woke up Alice and Rosalie, or broke something in the room. I quickly changed, and didn't even bother putting shoes on before storming out of my room.

"Bella?" Alice called worriedly. I spun around and saw Alice and Rosalie sitting at the kitchen table looking at me sadly.

"I need to go for a walk. I'll be back in a bit," I said as I pulled my hair into a hair tie.

"We'll be here when you get back," Rose said as they nodded at me.

"Don't wait up. If you're asleep when I get back, we'll talk in the morning," I said to ease their concern. They nodded once more and I made my way out the front door into the warm balmy breeze.

I walked down the steps and straight forward onto the beach. I walked until I hit the edge of the water, and stared out at the blanket of blackness before me. The moonlight glittered across the top of the water, making it look like bright stars twinkling in a perfectly black velvet night sky.

I walked down the beach aimlessly as the waves lapped at my feet while they rolled ashore, trying to sort through the chaos that had erupted in my mind. I couldn't get over the nerve he had to call me out of the blue after two years, asking me for another chance. What could have ever given him the notion that anything could possibly ever be fixed between us? Two damn years of nothing wouldn't ever give me any type of hope for something like that. And then it hit me.

_Charlie and Renee…_

"Unbelievable," I muttered as I stormed up the beach a bit, away from the water and plopped down onto cool sand. I continued to stare out at the ocean, trying to let the rhythmic sound of the crashing waves soothe me as I sat with my knees pulled up to my chest.

My own parents. How could they? Had they not heard a word I've said over the last two years? Have they not seen what that relationship did to me? Do they not care at all?! What the hell do they even see in him to begin with? I certainly couldn't come up with a single thing any longer.

I really have wasted two years of my life. Two whole years…and then some. Six in total, if you count the years I wasted being with him. Truth be told, I miss him. Not as a boyfriend or significant other, but as a friend. I miss the person he was before all of this had started, before there was ever significant meaning to the word us. He had always been such a good friend, but I couldn't find even a particle of that person still remaining in him. Everything about him changed almost instantly. Why I let it continue, I will never know. The only thing I can come up with is being young and naïve. Screw naïve, I was down right retarded to have not seen what was right in front of my face the whole time.

It couldn't have been any clearer to me at the moment if there had been a blinding neon sign blaring right in front of my eyes. I felt more in just one day of being around Edward than I had ever felt being around Jacob. If that didn't make the truth that I hadn't ever been in love with Jacob to begin with blatantly obvious, nothing ever would.

_What the hell does that mean though? Is what I feel more than just attraction to him? How can that even be possible?! I've only known him for a day and a half! Not even the full half!!_

"God this is so confusing," I grumbled to myself as I put my head down against my knees.

"Bella? Are you okay?" I chuckled humorlessly to myself and looked up to see Edward walking toward me.

"I'm fine," I said, hoping he didn't catch the way my voice quivered slightly.

"No... You're not," he said as he knelt down in front of me. "What's wrong?"

"Ugh...what isn't wrong?" I huffed as I pushed my palms against my eyes. I was not about to cry in front of him.

"Come on. It's about time I put that psychology class to some use," he said as he tugged gently on my arm. I chuckled slightly and stood up.

"Why aren't you at the bar?" I asked as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders lightly and started leading me down the beach.

"Bar's closed. I was coming back to pull the shutters down after getting rid of the garbage, and I saw you sitting on the beach," he said and turned up the path to the bar.

"What time is it?" I asked as I looked up at him confused.

"About two thirty or so," he replied as he looked down.

"Damn... I've been out here that long?" I asked.

"How long were you sitting there?" he asked worriedly.

"I hadn't been sitting there long, but I've been out on the beach since about twelve thirty or so," I said as we stopped in front of the bar.

"Have a seat. I'll get us something to drink," he said as he guided me to a stool. "Any preferences?" he asked.

"Something strong," I snorted. He chuckled and slipped behind the bar. A minute later he walked back around and sat down next to me. I laughed as he set a bottle of tequila, a salt shaker, two shot glasses, and a bowl of lime wedges down between us.

"Hey you said something strong," he chuckled.

"That I did," I said as I nodded and he poured us two shots. I took the shot, and sucked on the lime, skipping the salt.

"Aww, you ruined it!" he laughed and I chuckled. "You forgot the salt."

"Nah... I'm not a fan of salt," I said honestly.

"Alright, I'll let you get away with it... Only because I like you though," he said as he winked at me, and sent my already chaotic thought pattern into a downright frenzy, not to mention the butterflies that had been fluttering in my stomach were now assaulting it and making me want to hurl.

_Now there's a sure fire way to attract a guy. I'm sure he'll turn around and say "My what lovely gastric pyrotechnics you have there. Would you care to go out on a date?" Riiiiight..._

"So what happened between the last time I saw you and when I found you on the beach?" he asked as he poured another set of shots. I sighed and looked up at him, questioning him with my eyes as to whether or not he really wanted to hear my crap. He smiled slightly and nodded encouragingly, somehow reading my thoughts.

"My ex called," I said plainly.

"Oooh," he grimaced. "That's never good. What'd he have to say?" he asked as he took the second shot. I took mine and sucked on another lime wedge for a minute.

"He asked me to give him another chance," I admitted. Edward nodded and then looked at me.

"Are you going to?" he asked, and I swear I saw a flash of pain shoot through his eyes before it was covered by something completely different. What, I had no clue.

"No, I can't. There's no way I can go back to that... to him," I replied quickly. I wasn't about to go into all of the reasons why I couldn't do that, and I'm sure he would be far from interested in hearing about it anyhow.

I took another shot and popped another lime into my mouth. At the rate I was going, I'd be on the ground soon. What was that saying? One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, more...door...was it floor? Something like that anyway.

"So if you don't want to go back to him, what has you so upset?" he asked, and I was taken aback by his expression that was a mix of curiosity and relief.

_What is he relieved about?..._

"I'm confused more than I am upset," I admitted. "For two years I waited for that call. Day in and day out…just praying for that call. And suddenly, at the same time I stop wanting it, or wishing for it... he calls. Just when I figure out that I really am better off without him, he appears and messes my head all up."

"You can't be that messed up if you're able to still sit here and say that you don't want to be with him," he said after what felt like a few minutes, right about the time when the tequila started to hit me.

_Does alcohol mess with time perception? Cause I swear that took forever for him to respond. Maybe I really should just shut up about it..._

"It's not him that I'm confused about. Listening what he said, and having everything click in my head just caused me to be more confused about something completely different," I said and then stupidly took another shot.

_Way to go dumbass...you might as well come out and say it now. Just open your mouth and say "Hey Edward, I'm attracted to you, but I think it might be something more. I'm not sure though, because I've never felt anything like this before." Man...I'm even rambling in my head. This isn't good..._

"What exactly did he say...if you don't mind me asking," he said and then took another shot as well. I was really starting to hope that there would be someone around to drag our drunken passed out asses away from the bar before the sun came up.

"He said that he made a mis...stake. That he loves me, and that he should have had different extensions...no that's not the right word is it?....expectations? on how I responded to him because I'm my father's daughter or some shit. It's all jumbled in my head now," I laughed and he smirked.

"Your father's daughter? What does that mean?" he asked curiously.

"Ahhh... Charlie. Hm.. Charlie is... distant? Unaffectionate? I can't explain it the right way, but he just isn't one of those people that are capable of showing emotion freely. He loves his family passionately..at least I think he does. I'm not so sure right now since I think it was him..or Renee... that gave Jacob the idea to try and work things out with me. I have to wonder where their eardrums have been over the last two years...maybe they both need hearing aids or some shit cause they haven't heard a damn word I've said since Jacob walked out..... What was I talking about again?" I laughed again.

"You were describing Charlie...who I'm guessing is your dad?" he asked as he chuckled.

"Oh yeah! Right, okay. Yes, Charlie is my dad. He loves his family deeply, but he has a hard time showing that forwardly... outwardly?" I giggled.

_Oh shit...I'm blitzed. I don't know where my IQ went, but that tequila's lookin' good. I think I might have another shot..._

Like the idiot I am, I poured another shot and took it, and popped yet another lime in my mouth.

"So by saying that you're your father's daughter, Jacob was basically saying that you're unaffectionate?" he inquired, wondering if he got my rambling correct.

"I'm assuming so," I said as I shrugged. "That's the only thing I could come up with."

"Well... for the record, I don't think you're unaffectionate. You don't seem the cold and distant type," he said as he smiled that perfectly dazzling crooked smile and I blushed...at least I think I did. Then again the sudden heat could have been coming from the tequila.

"So what's this completely different something that you're confused about?" he asked as he poured two more shots. I took it like the jackass I am and tried to contemplate how to phrase my next statement as I sucked on my lime wedge.

"Have you ever felt... I don't know.. a pull.. something like gravity, drawing you toward someone?" I asked as I avoided looking into his eyes. I felt like an idiot as the silence between us dragged on.

"Yeah," he replied, just above a whisper and my eyes shot up to his.

"What happened? Did it not work out?" I asked curiously and he chuckled as he shook his head.

"Nothing happened. Not yet anyway," he said and I looked at him confused.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked hesitantly. He froze for a moment and then nodded slightly, and then I chickened the hell out.

"How come you never dated anyone?" I blurted out. It was the first thing that came to my mind. He laughed and my heart broke a little at the look of relief on his face.

_You dipshit. He knows what you were going to ask him and it made him uncomfortable. He obviously doesn't feel the same way for you..._

"I actually have. Where did you hear that from?" he asked curiously.

"Emmett and Jasper," I tattled and he chuckled.

"They just don't know about it because it was when I was in college, and we were all so busy with our classes that we rarely spoke. When we did manage to get a call in, they were short and mostly revolved around our classes or schedules or when we were getting together for holidays and crap like that," he said and I nodded.

"What happened?" I asked, trying to ignore that pang that I still felt from that look of relief.

"We met and started dating soon after I started college. She was in one of my classes. We dated for about two years, and I thought things were going pretty good, not the best, but I've never had some false ideology that there's such a thing as a perfect relationship. I think when it comes to two people entwining their lives together, perfection is impossible. My Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle are probably the closest thing I've ever seen to perfection in that area," he mused with a thoughtful expression.

"Anyway," he said as he shook his head. "I thought I loved her. I wasn't sure if I was in love with her or not. There was always something nagging at the back of my mind that was telling me something wasn't right, but I ignored it. I ignored it right up to the day that I walked into our apartment and found her in bed with another man," he admitted and I instantly frowned.

"I'm sorry. I know how badly that hurts," I said sympathetically, because I did.

I had walked in on Jacob with someone at his father's house once right before my high school graduation ceremony. I don't know who was the biggest idiot out of the two of us that day, me for taking him back, or him for having someone else there when he knew I would be showing up right after school to pick him up for the ceremony.

"That's when I packed up and left college and came here," he said as he waved a hand around.

"How come you haven't dated anyone since?" I asked curiously and he laughed as he shook his head.

"Most of the women that I meet here are only here for a few days at most, and more importantly they're highly irritating. I have a very low tolerance for flaky people, and there are an abundance of them around here," he chuckled and I laughed.

"Don't you want to find someone to be with though? I can't imagine that you'd want to spend your life alone," I inquired after my laughter died down.

"Yeah, I do. It's just that I don't want to go through what I went through with Tanya again. I want someone that I can trust, someone that I don't have to second guess every time I'm not with them. It's a shitty way to live. I spent almost two years living that way, with that nagging thought in the back of my head every time I wasn't near her, and thinking it was normal to feel that way. I know better now though," he replied as he filled his glass with another shot.

"I'm sure you'll find someone that's right for you. I promise not to infect you with my curse," I laughed and he looked at me with a confused expression.

"Curse?" he asked as he chuckled lightly.

"Yeah. I came up with this theory about a year ago that I'm cursed in love. The only person that was ever interested in me romantically was my best friend. As soon as we started dating, he changed completely. I blamed the curse for the change. It's happened to Ali and Rose a few times too, where the guy they were seeing suddenly changed. I blamed my curse for them as well," I snickered and he shook his head.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," he laughed and I swayed as I joined in.

"I know, but it sounded like a plausible theory at the time," I chuckled.

"No, not the theory, although that is pretty ridiculous as well. I was referring to the only person being interested in you being your best friend," he said as he fought his chuckles and waved his hands around in front of him.

"No, that part's true. There was no laying in bed, staring at cracked ceilings, coming up with theories about that. He was the only one...ever. I'm pretty sure that bartender I mauled was just thinking he'd lucked out on some quick fun," I responded seriously.

"I find that impossible to believe," he scoffed as I took yet another shot and sucked on another lime wedge.

_What number was that? Three or four? Six? Shit I lost count..._

"S'true," I slurred slightly as I tossed the rind into the bowl. Well I tried to anyway, I missed and it bounced off the counter top and behind the bar.

"Whoops," I giggled and swayed slightly. His arm shot out to steady me as he chuckled.

"Is that why you think that Alice and Rosalie are so much more beautiful than you? Because high school boys didn't have the guts to ask you out? Because I assure you that's the only reason they never did," he said and I snorted.

"No, I think that because they are much more beautiful than I am. It has nothing to do with the boys in high school not liking me," I replied adamantly.

"You don't see yourself clearly at all," he remarked and I quirked an eyebrow at him.

"What is it that you see then?" I challenged and he smirked.

"I see someone who is incredibly beautiful, intimidatingly so. Someone who is caring, warm, snarky at times, witty, insanely funny...damn near perfect," he said with that damn smoldering look in his eyes.

"Where's the imperfection? And who the hell are you looking at?" I laughed.

"I'm looking at _you_, and the imperfection is that you don't see yourself clearly. You really do need to visit that optometrist you know," he chuckled and I guffawed as I slid off my stool.

"Okay, enough tequila for you," he laughed as he caught me and righted me on my seat.

"You gonna be okay if I leave you here for a minute to put the bottle away?" he asked and I nodded.

"No falling off that stool while I'm out of arms reach," he chuckled and I snorted as I nodded.

"Yeah yeah," I said as I waved my hand at him. He quickly put the bottle back and tossed the shot glasses in the sink before dumping the lime rinds in the trash and tossing the bowl on the counter. He walked around and pulled all the shudders down before walking back around to me.

"Let's get you back to your villa before the sun comes up," he chuckled as he wrapped an arm around my waist and helped me stand.

"Is it that late already?" I asked as I wobbled slightly.

"Yeah, it's just after five," he replied as we started slowly walking toward my villa.

"Thank you for the therapy session, Dr. Edward. How much do I owe you?" I chuckled and he laughed.

"Consider it on the house," he replied as he pulled me closer to him.

"Which one's you?" he asked and I had to think for a minute.

"Four? Wait no... five? Shit..." I laughed.

"Okay I'll make this easy... what color shutters?" he chuckled.

"Grayish blue," I giggled.

"That'd be five," he said as he nodded.

"I never noticed they had different colored shutters," I mused as I tried to see the other colors as we passed them. My efforts were in vain in the dark and I probably looked retarded as I continued to squint and attempt to make the colors out.

"Emmett insisted it helps people when they're a bit inebriated," he laughed and I cracked up.

"How the hell does that work when I can't even tell what color the shutters are right now?" I asked.

"I have no idea, but he was insistent upon it," he replied as he shook his head. We walked a little further until he stopped and stood in front of me.

"Thanks again, Edward," I said sincerely.

"Anytime, Bella," he replied as he lightly grazed the back of his fingers across my cheek. He bent down and kissed my forehead tenderly, smiling as he pulled back.

_Okay...so maybe I was wrong earlier...._

"Get some sleep," he said softly and I nodded, dazed by the fact that he had just put his lips on my forehead. The spot where they had touched my skin tingled like crazy.

"Goodnight, Edward," I managed to voice through my haze.

"Night, Bella. Sweet dreams," he said as I took a few steps away from him, backing myself toward the villa.

I smiled and waved shyly before turning around and climbing the three steps onto the porch. He watched until I had made it in the door and we waved once more as I started to close it. Once the door was closed and locked, I pressed my back up against it and closed my eyes for a few moments. When I opened them, I looked around quickly, making sure that Alice and Rosalie weren't sitting around waiting for me before I tried tiptoeing to my room. Miraculously, I made it into my room without tripping, or causing a huge commotion. I peeled off my t-shirt and shorts, leaving me in the tube top and lacy boyshorts I had worn while trying to go to bed earlier, and slid back into the bed.

As I lay in bed, touching the spot on my forehead that was still tingling where his lips had pressed against it, I became absolutely positive of four things. First, Edward is the most incredible person I have ever met in my life. Second, there is a defective part of him, and I'm not quite sure how severe that part is, that desperately needs glasses, third...I'm insanely and irrevocably in love with him.

The fourth and final thing I was absolutely positive of, was Jose Cuervo needed to be given an honorary psychiatry degree.

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**AN: Reviews are better than Cuervo therapy....seriously the morning after those therapeutic sessions are harsh! LOL Leave a review and I'll drop a full lemon in the chapter I'm working on instead of an insinuated one! Yes..that's right. I'm evil. I'm holding the lemons hostage....man that really doesn't sound right! Okay..I'm out. ~Jersey~**


	7. Hangovers and Confessions

**AN: Damn this story is worse than heroin! Anyways...here's an extra long chappie for you. Just a little over 12000 words, and A LOT happens in this chapter. It's gonna piss me off when I finally get validated over on Twilighted and I have to split chapters for this one and I end up with mismatching chapter numbers again...just like in BTS. Yeah..you'd think I would have learned after all of that...but nah! You guys love long chapters and I hate ending them at awkward spots. Enough of my BS...ENJOY!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight characters...we know this...I've written 81 of these damn things so far LOL. I should just make a template with it already stuck on there! Whoa my brain just turned back on...and there it goes again...got a damn faulty fuse somewhere...Oh yeah..SM owns them all...knew I was forgetting something...

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Hangovers and Confessions

BPOV

"Bella Swan... wake up and _spill_," Rosalie practically growled as she tore the comforter away from me.

"Ugh...head...hurts... put...sun...out," I muttered probably unintelligibly.

"What?" Alice asked confusedly.

"Put the sun out," I muttered as I pulled my face away from the pillow slightly.

"What the hell does that mean?" Rosalie guffawed.

"I don't know... my brain hurts," I grumbled and then drove my face into the pillow.

"What the hell did you do last night when you left?" Rose pushed my hair over my shoulder and tried to pry my face from the pillow.

"Walk...water...tequila...mmm green," I mumbled incoherently and then sighed happily as those smoldering green eyes of his came into memory.

"She's shitfaced!" Rosalie screeched.

"NO!" Alice gasped and I giggled as the sound of his musical laughter reverberated through my mind, followed by a sharp shooting pain.

"Ungh!" I tried to roll over and hold my head together. The damn thing felt like it was going to split in two.

"Come on drunkie, sit up," Rose said as she pulled me forward. The room started spinning and my head started pounding.

"Here, Bells. Take these," Alice insisted quietly as she handed me a bottle of water and some Motrin.

"Thanks, Ali. What time is it anyway?" I squinted and tried to take the bottle from her.

"It's just after nine. What time did you come back?" she asked as Rose scooted over and she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Ugh...I don't know. It was after five I think," I said as I tried to remember.

"Where did you go?" Rose asked and I smirked.

"Therapy," I chuckled but stopped immediately and grabbed the sides of my head again. God that hurt like hell.

"Therapy?" they both asked in confusion. I just nodded slightly.

"And pray tell, who was the therapist?" Rosalie asked with a smirk and I avoided chuckling at all costs as I looked at her.

"Jose Cuervo," I answered as a grin spread across my face.

"You _lie_!" she laughed as she tossed her head back, filling the room with her manly guffaw. Alice started giggling with her tinkling laughter and toppled over into Rose as my head literally split in two.

"Bella...only you could turn a hot bartender into a psychiatrist," Alice chortled and as much as I tried to fight it off, the painful laughter slipped from me as I held my head tightly in my hands.

It got quiet, and somewhat awkward after we had sobered up...from our laughter. Their humor in regards to the situation was long gone as they looked at me with cautious and worried eyes.

"So... Jacob apparently learned how to work a phone last night, huh?" Rose said, trying to at least approach the subject with a tiny bit of humor. Unfortunately, it failed miserably.

"Yeah," I sighed and looked at the floor where I had tossed the two pieces of my phone. It was amazing that I hadn't broken my neck tripping over them when I came back into my room.

"What did he say?" Alice asked hesitantly.

"That he was sorry. He made a mistake. All the same usual bull with some new crap mixed in that only angered me even more," I replied as I sank back against the pillows and waved my hand around.

"How much did you guys hear?" I asked nervously. They both grimaced slightly at each other before looking at me.

"Um...close to everything?" Alice answered and I nodded glumly.

"Sorry for waking you," I muttered as I looked at them apologetically.

"You're not rethinking anything that you said to him last night are you?" Rosalie asked with a disapproving stare, and I shook my head.

"No... I meant what I said to him. It's over...all of it. I couldn't even ever look at him as a friend again after all of this." As sad as it was, it was completely true. Everything between us had been destroyed, and nothing remained that could be salvaged at this point.

"Good," Rose said simply as Alice nodded. "Now...how about some breakfast?"

My stomach churned and I wrapped an arm around it tightly as I covered my mouth with my other hand and shook my head, fighting off the sudden wave of nausea.

"Please don't mention food...ever."

"Alright. Well Alice and I are going to head down and then we're going to check out that moped thing. Why don't you get some more rest and we'll bring you back a little something for lunch later?" she asked and I nodded.

"This doesn't mean you're going to go back to living in a bed again are you?" she asked as she passed me back my blanket. I laughed, even though it hurt to do so, and shook my head.

"Nope, I'm done wasting away for no reason," I replied, feeling a spark of happiness from the truth of the statement.

"Thank God. Sweet dreams, Bells. We'll see you later," she said as she hugged me. Alice smiled brightly and wrapped her arms around me.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, sister."

"Thanks for resurrecting me."

Alice and Rosalie quickly left and I headed back to sleep after pulling the drapes closed. There was just too much damn sun for me to be able to fall back asleep. That was the one good thing about Seattle. Whenever you wanted to sleep during the day, the dreary overcast skies, and lulling quality of the rain, put you right to sleep. I felt as though I had just closed my eyes when someone started knocking on the front door.

"Coming," I grumbled as I rolled out of the bed. The knocking sounded again just as I walked out of my bedroom door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold your damn horses already." I huffed as the knocking continued. I finally made it to the door and braced myself to yank it open.

"Christ you guys, remember your key...." I started ranting and then stopped abruptly as my eyes locked with green instead of blue or gray.

"Edward." His name breezed off my tongue as I released my hitched breath. He looked stunned and I looked around cautiously before my sight drifted down to my clothing.

"SHIT!" I squeaked and slammed the door shut.

"Umm... Stay there! I'll be right back!" I yelled as I ran through the villa.

I found my shorts from the night before, as well as my t-shirt, and quickly slipped them on over my tube top and underwear. I took a few calming breaths, and tried to subdue the flaming red that had erupted on my cheeks before opening the front door again.

When I finally opened the door I came face to face with a highly amused gorgeous god. How he could look so perfect after an extremely late night of drinking was beyond my comprehension.

"Sorry about that. I thought you were Rosalie and Alice." I blushed from embarrassment once more.

"Nothing to be sorry about...nothing at all. I wouldn't mind if you answered the door like that every time I knocked on it," he chuckled and I thought my face was about to burst into flames. It was silent for a while, and it was apparent that my brain had checked out for the rest of the day...possibly the rest of my life at that point.

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sorry," I muttered as I stepped out of the way.

_Smooth Swan...real smooth_ .

He stepped in and I shut the door behind him before turning back around. When I turned around he was holding out a bag and a paper cup with a lid in my direction.

"I thought you might need a little pick me up this morning."

"Thanks," I said as I took the items from his hand. "What's in the cup?"

"It's just a fruit smoothie, packed with vitamins. It's the perfect remedy for a tequila hangover." He winked and I felt a fresh wave of heat crawl up my neck.

"You didn't have to do that," I said as I gestured toward the couch for him to sit.

"I know. I wanted to," he assured me as I sat down next to him. I peered into the bag and smiled as I saw a small container of fresh fruit, a croissant, and something in a wrapper that smelled kind of greasy.

"I wasn't sure what kind of comfort food you liked after a night of drinking, so I grabbed a few different things."

"This is great... thank you." I dug through the bag and pulled out the croissant and fresh fruit.

"Anytime. Did you sleep well this morning?"

"Very... until Ali and Rose woke me up around nine," I said as I rolled my eyes.

"_Ouch_." He cringed slightly and I nodded as I pulled a piece of the croissant off and popped it in my mouth.

"Do you want whatever this is in the bag?" I asked as I pointed to it. He shook his head.

"No, I already ate. Thanks though."

"So what are you guys all up to today?" I asked as I popped off the lid to the container of fresh fruit.

"Hm... Emmett took a group of people snorkeling this morning, Jasper's teaching some guy how to windsurf, and I'm off today so I'm bummin'."

"You came all the way over here on your day off? Didn't you have anything better to do?" I asked sincerely. Come on... he had to have something better to do than to come to the resort where he works on his day off.

"I actually came to see if you'd be interested in going for a ride with me," he said quietly, and my eyes widened with how nervous he appeared at the moment.

"I would, but I'm supposed to be committing suicide on a moped this afternoon with Ali and Rose. They wouldn't take no for an answer," I joked...somewhat. He laughed and shook his head.

"I guess it's a good thing that I ran into them on my way here. Your appointment with death has been postponed on account of your vicious hangover." His smirk was adorable and I found myself chuckling slightly.

"So what are they doing?"

"They rented the mopeds. They were just getting ready to leave when I showed up. They're heading into town to check out the shops or something," he said and I grinned widely.

"What's making you so happy?" he asked as he quirked an eyebrow at me.

"Not only has my appointment with death been postponed, but I've found the cure to suffering Alice's shopping addiction. I should have hangovers more often." I smiled happily as I popped another piece of fruit in my mouth. Hell from the way it felt, someone could have just told me I'd found the cure for cancer.

"Not much of a shopper I take it?" I shook my head and laughed.

"Not even close. My shopping style is like the supermarket sweep. Get in, grab it, and run away." His responding laugh was nothing short of musical.

"I think I'd pay to see that," he chuckled and I smiled.

"Just watch your ankles. I'm dangerous with a shopping cart." I winked at him and he cracked up again.

"So what do you say to that ride?"

"What exactly are we riding?" I asked curiously.

"My motorcycle." I paled.

"What's wrong?"

"Bad experience with motorcycles," I said as I shook my head.

"Explain," he drawled as he waved his hand around in a circle.

"A few years ago, my ex convinced me to try riding his motorcycle. So like an ass I get on this gargantuan thing that I can barely even reach the ground with my feet when I'm straddling it, much less when I'm sitting on it, and he gives me two basic instructions. Put it in gear with my foot, and give it a little gas as I let go of the clutch. Without questioning it...like I said I'm an ass...I did what he said and ended up flying down the road and crashing," I said and then hid my face in my hands.

"What an _asshole_," he growled angrily. "You could have been _killed_!" I looked up, gasping as I saw the raw pain flash in his eyes.

"Had you ever even _been_ _on_ a motorcycle before?" he asked with a horrified look. I silently shook my head.

"So he put you on it, without having even ever ridden on one while _he_ was driving, and all he said was put it in gear and give it gas when you let go of the clutch?!" I nodded silently with wide eyes.

"Un-fucking-believable," he muttered as he shook his head and then looked up at me.

"Go get dressed," he said as he pointed down the hall. I looked at him curiously.

"Please. Just trust me." I nodded and lifted myself from the couch.

I walked into my room and took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, and pulled my hair into a messy bun before getting dressed. My shoulders were slightly tender, nowhere near as bad as they should have been though, so I chose to wear a tube top and halter bikini with a pair of Bermuda shorts and a pair of flip flops. I rubbed in some sunblock quickly so I wouldn't burn even worse, and when I was done, I wrote a quick note for Ali and Rose so they wouldn't worry, and placed it on the kitchen table before joining Edward in the living room again.

"Do you have sneakers?" I nodded and turned back around to put on a pair of socks and sneakers, all the while wondering why I would even need them. I came back out and he held his hand out for me, and proceeded to lead me out of the villa.

"So where are we going?" I asked curiously.

"You're going to learn how to drive a motorcycle the _right _way," he said and I stopped in my tracks as I started to panic.

"Edward...please, I really don't want to." He spun around and cupped my face gently with both hands as he stared straight into my eyes.

"Bella, I won't let _anything _happen to you. If your friends are going to drag you out on mopeds while you're here, I need to know that you'll be safe. If you can ride my motorcycle, then you can handle a moped with your eyes closed... Don't try that by the way," he added as an afterthought with a chuckle.

I couldn't do anything but nod mutely as I gazed into his eyes. I knew I could trust him, and for some strange reason I knew that I was safe with him. He would never let anything bad happen to me. He let go of my face and took my hand again as he led us through the lobby and down the steps on the opposite side. I almost wanted to run back to my villa and hide when I caught sight of his motorcycle. It was big, and sporty, and it looked plain dangerous.

"Don't be nervous. I'll be with you the entire time." I took a deep breath and nodded to him, as I tried to fight the overwhelming nerves.

"You need to learn how to ride as a passenger before you can drive," he said as he straddled the bike. "Climb on behind me." I did and waited for him to say something else.

"Okay now put your feet up on these pegs," he said as he pointed to them, and I placed my feet on them.

"The most important thing to remember is this. When the bike leans into a turn, lean _with_ it, never away from it, okay?" he asked and I nodded.

"Wrap your arms around me. I'm going to lean the bike, and I want you to lean as much as I do so you can get the feel of it," he said and I did. He leaned to the right at first, bracing both of us as well as the bike with his right leg.

"Good," he chuckled and he started to lean to the left.

"Alright I think you got this," he said sounding confident. "Hop off for a sec."

I hopped off and stood off to the side as he put the kickstand down and got off as well. He turned toward me and handed me a helmet that had been hanging off the handlebars.

"Nice...a brain bowl," I chuckled and he laughed.

"I have to ask...why do you call it a brain bowl?" he said as he shook his head.

"Think about it. If you get into a bad accident, it keeps your brain intact until the doctor pulls it off, and then it serves as a bowl for your brains to spill out into," I said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Bella, that's... _gross._" He grimaced and then chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I spent too much time watching those Trauma Life in the ER shows or something," I said as I waved it off.

"I think I need to stop trying to figure out what might come out of your mouth, because every time I do, I'm wrong," he chuckled as he put the helmet on my head and fastened it.

"Is that a bad thing?" He grinned and shook his head.

"No...actually it's quite refreshing. It's nice to be surprised every now and again... even if the surprise comes with a shock factor," he laughed and I joined in.

"You ready?" he asked and I nodded. He climbed on the bike and I got on behind him. He started it and then turned his head slightly.

"Remember, hold on tight, don't panic, and lean with the bike," he said and I nodded as I wrapped my arms around him. He used his legs to walk the bike backwards a bit, and then put it into gear. My grip on him tightened significantly as he took off and he laughed.

"Need to breath, Bella," he called back to me, and I chuckled nervously as I relaxed just a bit.

I spent a few minutes just looking at the back of his helmet, focusing on leaning whatever way he did until I felt at least slightly comfortable and decided to look around at the scenery. It was beautiful. The road weaved through dense tropical forests, filled with vividly colored flowers and tall palm trees.

"You doin' okay back there?!" he shouted.

"Yeah, I'm good!" I yelled back and he nodded as he picked up the speed a bit. I tensed slightly and then relaxed.

I turned my head to the right, and suddenly the dense forest disappeared, leaving me a clear view of the ocean and shoreline below a cliff. We were traveling up a fairly steep incline, and I was resting against his back as he leaned forward. I couldn't imagine anything being more beautiful than the scenery that was flying past us...well except Edward himself, but I think all beauty paled in comparison to his perfection.

_God when did I become such a sap?_

The bike slowed suddenly and I was pressed into his back as we leaned and turned onto an unpaved road. He was traveling slowly as he weaved the bike around rocks, ruts, and bumps as we continued to climb a hill. When we came to the end of the path he stopped and braced the bike with his legs as he shut off the engine. I took it as my cue to hop off, and he followed right after me.

"Where are we?" I asked as I took the helmet off my head and tried to tame my hair as best I could.

"It's a surprise," he said with a smirk as he took my helmet from me and put them both on the handlebars.

He held his hand out to me, and I took it as he led us away from the bike, and onto a trail only wide enough for one of us to travel through at a time. He pushed back branches of plants that hung low into the trail, and held them until I had passed. After a few minutes we emerged from the other side of the trail. I gasped as he stepped aside and I drank in the entire scene before me.

We were at the very top of a cliff that looked out over the pristine white sand beaches, blue ocean, and tropical forest below us. Right on the beach was a roof made of palm branches and I looked to Edward with a questioning glance.

"That's Mezcalito's," he said simply and I nodded. He led us over to the far edge of the open area where there were large rocks with flat surfaces. We climbed up on top of them and sat ourselves down.

"It's beautiful, how did you find it?" This place had the ultimate perfect view.

"I found it right after I bought the bike. I was riding around aimlessly and I saw that trail that forked off the main road. I was curious, so I took it and then followed a small opening in the brush. Over the years, it's grown a bit wider with how often I've walked it, and I've even trimmed some of the brush back a bit to make it easier," he said and I nodded.

"Does anyone else know about this place?" I asked and he nodded.

"Only one person, my Aunt Esme. I told her about it one day when she asked me where I had been. When I described it, she immediately wanted to see it. She paints landscapes, and a few other things as well," he replied and a thought struck my mind.

"Does she paint all the beach landscapes that are in the villas?" I asked curiously and he grinned as he nodded.

"Yeah, she's quite the artist," he responded. His expression clearly showed how much he adored her.

"Did she ever paint this?" I asked as I gestured around the area we were in.

"Yeah, she painted a mural of it in my piano room. She said something about it being my secret retreat. She wanted me to be able to see it whenever I wanted to, even if I couldn't get up here," he replied with a look of admiration.

"That was sweet of her," I said sincerely and he nodded.

We were quiet for a while as we both stared out at the landscape. It was unlike the awkward silence most people who didn't really know each other that well experienced. It was completely comfortable, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for us to sit next to each other without needing to fill the empty space with meaningless chatter. It was a comforting feeling, and I found myself relishing in the sounds, breezes, and scents as I closed my eyes.

"You know... when my parents died, I never thought I'd ever feel complete again," he said suddenly and I opened my eyes to look at him. He was gazing out toward the ocean but then his eyes flickered to me.

"Until I met you," he said quietly and my breath hitched in my throat as I searched his eyes for any sign of insincerity. There wasn't a trace of it to be found.

"I...Edward..."

"Do you remember last night when you asked me if I had ever felt something like gravity pulling me toward someone?" he asked and I nodded.

"I feel that when I'm around you. I can't explain it, but it's like no matter how close I am to you, it isn't close enough. I've never felt anything like it before, and it confuses the hell out of me, but I don't ever want it to go away. It's when I feel that pull that I feel complete," he said and I felt tears begin to prick at my eyes.

"This may sound weird, but I feel closer to you after only one day than I feel to people I've known for years. No one besides my aunt knows about this place, but when I woke up, the first thing I thought about was showing it to you. It felt like I _needed_ to share it with you, to share a part of myself that almost no one knows about with you," he said as he took my hand gently in his and traced light patterns across my palm with his fingers.

"I know you're leaving in a few weeks, and I've tried to reason with myself that I shouldn't get attached, but it's too late. I don't think I could have stopped it if I had tried, but I don't want to try. If four weeks is all I'm able to have of feeling this way, this complete, then I don't want to waste it trying to fight against it. Do you feel even any minimal amount of this or am I making a complete fool out of myself?" he asked nervously and I shook my head vehemently.

"No," I breathed. "I feel it too...I'm just scared," I admitted as I squeezed his hand reassuringly. He let out a breath of relief as a wide grin made its way across his lips.

"Edward... what's going to happen when I leave? What if we're setting ourselves up to be torn apart when that time comes?" I asked worriedly.

"We can cross that bridge when we come to it. If it's meant to be, we have to believe that it will work out somehow," he replied as he pulled me into his arms.

The second his arms enclosed around me, the only thing I could think was home. Being in his arms felt like _home_. I closed my eyes as I nestled myself further into his embrace and savored the sensations that coursed through me. I had never felt anything like it before, and I couldn't imagine living a life without having ever felt it.

"We should get going," he murmured into my hair. I nodded and started to stand.

He wrapped an arm around me and stood in front of me as he brushed a few strands of flyaway hair from my face and then cupped my cheek. His eyes were silently pleading for permission, and as the butterflies assaulted my stomach, I nodded minutely. His head slowly dipped down, and ever so gently, his lips brushed against mine. The feeling of it sent pure fire racing through my veins as my arms wound around his neck and my fingers weaved into his hair.

He tilted his head as his thumb caressed my cheek and his other hand came to rest against the back of my neck. I whimpered as his tongue darted out and traced along my bottom lip. The feeling of our tongues caressing each other was... indescribable. My fingers gave a little tug on his hair as I pulled him closer and he moaned in response. It was the most exquisite sound I had ever heard in my life. It could have been moments, or it could have been eons later when he slowed the kiss and we broke apart. The only coherent thought in my mind was 'too soon'. His arms wound tightly around my waist as he rested his forehead against mine and we battled to control our breathing.

When his breathing returned to normal, he placed a few kisses about my face before placing his lips against mine and leaving a slow and searing kiss against them. The overwhelming emotions that coursed through me in response to his tenderness caused tears to stream from my eyes. He gently swiped them away with the pads of his thumbs and then kissed away the moist trails that they had left behind.

"I...I'm sorry," I stammered. "It's just I've never felt anything like that before."

"It's okay, love. Neither have I," he said as he placed kisses all over my face. He pulled me against him again and gently held my head against his chest as he rubbed soothing circles on my back while I tried to calm my sudden tears.

"I'll find a way to make this work, Bella. If I have to travel the entire Earth just to be next to you, I will," he vowed, and I held him tighter, trying to fight off another bout of tears.

He held me tightly until I had composed myself, and kissed me one more time before leading the way back down the trail. He rode the bike, with me on the back holding him closely, to a long stretch of road where he stopped.

"Are you ready to learn how to drive?" he asked and I shook my head as the nerves started to get the best of me.

"It'll be fine, I'll be behind you the whole time," he said reassuringly.

"Here, sit up here," he said as he held the bike steady. I slid forward and placed my feet down on the ground. Well my toes anyway.

"Okay, this one's the clutch, this one's the front brake. Don't pull it hard, or the back of the bike will pop up and you might topple forward. Use it gently," he said and I nodded, paying close attention.

"The pedal on your left is the gear shift, and the one on your right is the rear brake. Use the rear brake more than the front until you get comfortable with it. At least you won't fly forward," he said and I nodded once again.

"This is a kill switch, it shuts off the engine. If you get scared, kill the engine so you don't accidentally pull on the throttle in a panic and end up taking off even faster," again I nodded, trying to remember all of it.

"When you let go of the clutch, let it go smoothly, don't just release it. If you do that in first gear, you'll stall out and the bike might jump forward, and in another gear the bike will jerk," he said, and I got even more nervous.

"Are you ready?" he asked, and I almost threw up.

"Edward, I don't think I can do this," I said as I tried to get off the bike.

"Nonsense, I know you can do it, and I'll be here with you the whole time. I won't let you fall, and I most certainly won't let you _crash_," he said as he growled the last word. I nodded dumbly, briefly wondering what my headstone would read on my grave site.

He slid on behind me and pressed a button, bringing the bike to life. It felt like a beast between my legs and I was absolutely terrified of it.

"Bella, relax. It will be fine," he said as he reached around me.

"Okay when you switch gears, tuck your toes under it and pull up all the way to go up in gears, press down on it to go back down. To get back to neutral, pull up half way if you're in first, or press down half way if you're in second. This green light right here tells you when you're in neutral like we are right now," he said and I nodded.

_Right...up for up and down for down...got it...I think. Dear Lord..if I kill us, please know before hand that I didn't do this willingly. Please show me some mercy, and please treat him well. He means well...he just lacks a little common sense...okay a lot of common sense..._

"Okay, pull the clutch in and hold it, then push down once on the gear pedal then tuck your toes under it," he said and I did. Feeling the bike go into gear only made my heart start to race even faster.

"Here we go," he chuckled, and again I wanted to throw up.

"Let off of the clutch lightly and give it just a little bit of gas," he said, and I sent out one more silent prayer before doing as he said. The bike lurched forward and then stalled and he started laughing as we wobbled.

"Pull up on the gear pedal half way," he said and I fumbled as I tried to do it. He reached around and hit the button, bringing the bike back to life and then he revved the engine a bit before placing my hand back on the throttle.

"Don't want the engine to get flooded," he said and I nodded.

"Okay let's try again, pull the clutch in, push down on the gear pedal, and tuck your toes under it again," he said and once again I did it.

"Give it just a little more gas this time when you release the clutch," he said and I nodded, sending out my silent prayer once more. This time the bike crept forward, and I slowly released the clutch handle as I gave it a little more gas, and we were off. I squealed and he laughed.

"You're doing it!" he cheered and I laughed.

"Get a little more speed up and then pull in the clutch as you let off the throttle, pull up once on the gear pedal, and release the clutch smoothly while you give it a little more gas," he said and I nodded as I followed his directions. The bike only jerked a little bit, nothing too bad, and we picked up speed again.

"You're doing awesome!" he cheered and I grinned widely.

We spent a few hours practicing taking off, turning, and stopping...which was fun by the way. I found out what he was talking about with the back of the bike popping up in the air. I was terrified that he was going to get thrown off the bike, but he didn't. He had probably braced himself for it and expected it to happen. Lord knows I would have been flying through the air if it had been me on the back.

By the time the sun had started to sink lower in the sky, I was actually pretty comfortable driving it, and he even let me drive it back to the resort. As we pulled up, Rosalie and Alice were just meeting up with Jasper and Emmett in the front as they returned their mopeds. I laughed at their stunned faces as I pulled up with Edward sitting behind me, his arms wrapped securely around me.

"No freaking way!" Rosalie guffawed as soon as her shock wore off. I put the bike in neutral and killed the engine as Edward hopped off.

"Dude...you let her drive the Ducati?!" Emmett bellowed and Edward grinned happily as he nodded.

"You didn't get hurt at all, did you?" Alice asked worriedly and I laughed as I shook my head.

"I wouldn't have let her get hurt, Alice," Edward said as he wrapped an arm around me.

"But...the first time..." she said with a pained expression.

"The first time an idiot put her on a bike without telling her a damn thing about how to ride it," he grumbled as he tightened his grip.

"Edward, man. I can't believe you didn't have a heart attack. You won't even let us touch that bike," Jasper said with an awed expression. He just shrugged and chuckled.

"She's a natural. She took to it like a fish in water. I wasn't worried in the least," he said and I grinned with pride.

"I can't believe you had a heart attack about a damn moped that has a maximum speed around the pace that my freaking hundred year old great grandmother walks, and yet you just rode in on a beast of a bike that's capable of doing two hundred miles an hour," Rosalie said incredulously as she gestured wildly between the mopeds and Edward's bike. My mouth dropped open as I turned to look at Edward who was laughing.

"AREYOUCRAZY?!" I screeched. "I could have turned us into hamburger meat! Forget the brain bowls...there would have been no brains left to catch!"

"Bella, you did perfectly fine. I told you, you're a natural. All you needed was the right instructions," he said and I scoffed. He cupped my face in his hands, his thumbs caressing my cheeks, and kissed my forehead before gazing into my eyes.

"Trust me, love. I would never have let you get hurt," he said with the most velvety smooth voice and I melted instantly as I nodded. He wrapped his arm around my waist and I molded myself into his side, blushing furiously as I took in the looks on their faces.

"What?" I asked self consciously. Rose just quirked an eyebrow, Alice started bouncing, Emmett was grinning, and Jasper looked positively beside himself.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Rosalie said as she shook her head and chuckled, grabbing Emmett's hand and walking off as they whispered to each other.

Jasper quirked an eyebrow at Edward and mouthed something to him, but I didn't catch what it was. Whatever he mouthed caused Edward to chuckle lightly and shrug as he led us up the steps and passed him and Alice. I looked back at her as we passed and smiled as I winked, getting her to squeal loudly and clap as Jasper wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Do you want to shower or change or anything before dinner?" he asked as we walked at a leisurely pace past the pool.

"Yeah, I probably should. My hair is a wreck from that helmet," I chuckled. "Do you need to shower? You can use mine if you need to," I offered.

"I have some clean clothes stashed in one of the staff quarters. I can shower there and then come back to your villa," he said and I nodded.

"Why do you have clothes in staff quarters when you live on the island?" I asked curiously and he chuckled lightly.

"Sometimes I'm too tired at the end of the night to go all the way back the house, so I stay here. I stayed here last night...well this morning anyway," he said and I nodded as we got to the front of the villa.

"I had fun today," I admitted and he grinned.

"Me too, but the day's not over yet," he said as he bent down to kiss me chastely. "Go shower, I'll be back soon."

"Okay. Knock before you walk in. I'm not sure if anyone will be walking around in a state of undress. Wouldn't want you to get an eyeful of something better," I joked and he scoffed.

"Bella, the eyeful I got this morning makes it impossible for me to believe that something better exists," he said and I blushed.

"Go shower before I lose the ability to let you go and we wind up in there together," he said with a wink and a swat on my ass. I yelped and then laughed as I walked away from him.

"The shower's big enough for two ya know," I said amusedly and he growled playfully.

"Don't tempt me," he chuckled.

"I'll see you in a bit," I said as I opened the door. He nodded as I stepped inside and shut the door.

"SPILL!" Rosalie squealed excitedly and my eyes shot open as a wide grin spread across my face.

"I can't," I said as I plopped down on the couch next to her.

"Why the hell not?!" she screeched.

"Because Alice isn't here," I said as I rolled my eyes.

"Damn that little pixie," she grumbled as her eyes narrowed and she sank against the back of the couch.

"I'm gonna go shower real quick," I said as I lifted myself off the couch.

"Hey, Bells?" she called and I turned toward her.

"Yeah?" I asked. She smiled widely.

"I'm happy for you," she said sincerely.

"Thanks Rose. I'm happy for you too," I said truthfully. She nodded and smiled as she got up off the couch.

I made my way into my room and hopped into the shower. I still couldn't believe that he had felt the exact same way I had each time I had been around him. It was utterly surreal. I tried not to think about how I'd be leaving in four weeks. I tried not to focus on the fact that our time together was limited. If four weeks was all I could have with him, then I'd take it and be happy to have that much. And who knows, maybe it really could work out somehow.

When I got out of the shower, I wrapped a towel around myself and brushed my hair and teeth. I walked out of the bathroom, and picked up my phone that was still in two separate pieces. I put it back together and turned it on, placing it on the dresser. I dug through the drawer and pulled out a matching pair of undergarments and then stood in front of the closet trying to decide what to wear. I didn't even know what we were doing for dinner.

"Rose?!" I shouted.

"What?!" she hollered back.

"Where are we going for dinner?!" I shouted.

"Emmett said something about an Italian restaurant here at the resort," she said as she walked into my room.

"Need help finding an outfit?" she asked and I nodded as I took a step away from the closet just as my phone started chirping away with missed messages. Rosalie went to pick it up but I stopped her.

"Just leave it. I don't care what he has to say," I said truthfully.

"Kay," she said simply and walked over to the closet.

"Em said it's pretty casual, so how about this strapless wrap around dress? Your shoulders still look a bit burnt," she said and I nodded. It was a pretty dress, white with a blue floral design on it.

"Here, you can wear these with it," she said as she handed me a pair of white shoes with two straps and a low wedge heel.

"Thanks, Rose," I said as I took the shoes from her.

"Come to my room when you get done. I'll do your hair and make-up," she said with a smile. I nodded and smiled back as I placed the shoes on the bed.

She walked out and I got dressed quickly, forgoing putting the shoes on until we were ready to leave. I walked into her room as soon as I was done, and she ushered me to a kitchen chair that she had placed in her bathroom. Alice came barreling in the door just as I sat down, and quickly launched into interrogation time. I laughed and recounted all the events of the day for them.

They made sappy sounds at his words when we were up on the cliff, and laughed their asses off when I told them about learning how to ride the bike. Rosalie still couldn't believe that I had managed to conquer the beast, and Alice was in awe that I even managed to get on the damn thing to start with after my first experience on a motorcycle.

When they were done with my hair and make-up, Alice handed me a silver necklace and earring set, as well as an anklet to wear. I was blown away when I looked in the mirror. I was no longer sickly looking or practically translucent. My hair was shiny and healthy looking as it was half pinned up on top of my head with cascading curls going down my back, my eyes were smoky and lively, and my skin was lightly sun kissed with just a faint pink tone on my shoulders. Alice applied a little more of Diane's magic lotion to my shoulders, and aside from my shoes I was ready to go.

I walked back into my room to let them finish getting ready, and quickly made my way over to my phone. I deleted all of the texts and alerts without reading them, and cleared out my voicemail box. For the first time in two years I felt happy and alive, and I wasn't about to let him bring me right back down again. I hooked the phone up to the charger, picked up my shoes, and went out to the living room to wait for Edward. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door so I went to answer it.

"Hey baby girl... you look beautiful," Emmett said as he hugged me.

"Thanks, Emmett. You're looking pretty handsome yourself there," I chuckled as I stepped away from him. He really did look handsome in his khaki pants and short sleeved black button up shirt.

"Rose! Emmett's here!" I hollered.

"Be right out!" she yelled back and I motioned to the couch for him to sit. I sat in one of the blue chairs and crossed my legs as I rested my head against my hand and waited.

"So Eddie-boy let you drive the Ducati," Emmett said with a grin. I chuckled and nodded.

"Damn.. he won't even let us touch the stupid thing," he muttered and shook his head.

"Why not?" I asked curiously. Emmett laughed.

"Edward is insanely possessive over that bike...and his car. He won't let anyone touch either of them," he said and I looked at him.

"But... he practically forced me to drive the thing. He said something about being safe on a moped, and if I could handle his bike then I could handle a moped with my eyes closed," I muttered in confusion.

"Well that explains it," he said and I got even more confused.

"Explains what?" I questioned.

"He cares. He would have ripped his hair out and paced his way to China if you had ever gotten on a moped without knowing how to ride one," he said like it was plain as day.

"That's ridiculous Emmett," I scoffed.

"No..that's Edward. Fiercely overprotective and worrisome," he chuckled.

"It's just a bike though," I said as I shook my head.

"Not to him it's not. His bike and his car have been his "loves" since he got them. The fact that he both taught you how to ride that bike without dying of an aneurysm and being thrilled that you rode it, only proves that he cares more about you then that damn bike," he said as he shook his head.

"Emmett, really. I think you're reading too far into this. It's just a bike and he taught me to ride it so he wouldn't worry about me getting hurt on a moped, and possibly suing the resort," I said as I chuckled and waved the whole thing off dismissively with my hand.

"Bella, he's been my cousin for twenty eight years. He's been my brother for more than half of those years. I know him like I know the back of my hand. He cares...probably a lot more than he's letting on...even to himself," he said self assuredly.

The first thing that popped in my head in response was him not knowing about Tanya or about Edward's secret retreat. Thank God Rose walked out and saved me from a bout of word vomit regarding his lack of knowledge of those parts of Edward's life. Emmett got up and greeted Rose just as there was another knock at the door. I got up and went to answer the door, inwardly contemplating whether Emmett could be right or not about how much Edward cared for me.

All thoughts and contemplations disappeared as I took in the sight of Edward before me wearing light khaki pants and a crisp white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He looked every bit as perfect as I knew he truly was.

"Bella," he breathed as his eyes traveled up and down, drinking me in just as I had done to him.

"You look... stunning," he said as his eyes locked onto mine. I blushed as he stepped forward and wrapped me in his arms. He planted a tender kiss on my lips and grinned crookedly as he pulled back.

"You look pretty damn amazing yourself," I chuckled as I finally relocated my voice. He grinned and bent down to kiss me once more.

"You guys ready? Where's Alice and Jasper?" he asked as he looked around.

"Ali! Shake a leg already!" Rose hollered and I snickered.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she muttered as she came out of her room, still attaching her shoe as she hopped down the hallway.

"Where's Jasper?" he asked again.

"He'll meet us there. We were running late," Alice said as she blushed and Rose and I quirked our eyebrows at her.

"Zip it...let's go," she huffed and blew past us out the front door.

Edward kept his arm around my waist as we strolled toward the restaurant. I knew he worked at the resort, as did Emmett and Jasper, but for some stupid reason it just felt like the six of us had known each other forever and were all on vacation together. The thought of the six of us visiting various parts of the world together on periodical vacations, sent warm and fuzzy feelings through me, and I couldn't help wishing for it to be true one day.

Rosalie, Emmett, and Alice were strolling somewhere far behind us as Edward and I entered the lobby. Tyler was working the desk again, and he scowled as he saw us walking together with our arms wrapped around each other.

"I thought we weren't supposed to fraternize with the guests, _Edward_," he said as he sneered his name. Edward chuckled as he held me tighter to his side.

"You get paid to work here, I don't...big difference. Keep your wandering eyes off her Crowley...and any other wandering part as well," he said sternly as we neared him.

"Whatever. Whenever she wants me she knows where to find me," he said as he winked at me and Edward stopped in his tracks.

"Don't pay him any attention," I said as I pulled on him but he didn't budge.

"Edward," I said as I cupped his cheek with my hand. His eyes flickered down to mine and he relaxed slightly.

"He can sit there until the end of time and I'd never want him. I want _you_," I said truthfully. He smiled slightly and lowered his head and placing a tender kiss on my lips.

"Crowley, keep dreaming. She's mine and I'm never her letting go," he said as he gazed into my eyes and traced the back of his hand from my temple to my chin . I smiled and reached up on my toes to kiss him once more, loving the way his words made me feel. I felt loved and wanted for the first time in what felt like forever.

"Come on, love," he said as he led us through the rest of the lobby, leaving a scowling Tyler behind us.

"Never letting go, huh?" I chuckled as we walked.

"Nope... never," he replied as he pulled me tighter to his side.

"At some point you'll have to," I retorted.

"Never," he responded and I laughed.

"Well that just doesn't work for me," I said and he stopped walking and looked at me with a heartbroken expression to which I responded by cupping his cheek and smiling like a goon.

"I really don't care to join you in the bathroom while you chuck a deuce," I chortled and he stared at me in shock.

"Bella... I can't believe you just said that!" he guffawed and I laughed.

"What? It's true!" I cried out, only causing him to laugh even harder.

"Okay, okay...so I have to let you go at some point...just please don't ever say that phrase again," he plead and I smirked.

"What? Chuck a deuce?" I asked innocently, stifling my amusement.

"Yes! Oh my God... that's so gross," he laughed as he grimaced.

"Not so perfect anymore am I?" I laughed and he looked at me incredulously.

"No, you're beyond perfect. No one can make me laugh like that, except Emmett occasionally," he replied with a smoldering gaze and I melted.

"Alright, I'll shelf that one... just for you," I chuckled and he sighed in relief.

"Thank you," he said sincerely.

"Anytime," I replied as I leaned further into him and we started walking again.

We made it to the restaurant, and Jasper was waiting right inside the entry way. The hostess led us straight back to our table, and Edward ordered two bottles of wine for all of us. Conversation was lively around the table and the food was phenomenal. Edward even managed to convince me to dance with him, and surprisingly enough I only stepped on his foot once in the very beginning. After dinner, we all parted ways for the evening. Edward and I decided to take a stroll down the beach. The moon was bright and the light from it bounced off the white sand, lighting our way perfectly.

"So what's it like living in Seattle?" he asked as we strolled leisurely.

"Wet, gray, and dreary," I chuckled.

"Have you ever lived anywhere else?" he asked and I shook my head.

"Not outside of Washington. I grew up in this little nothing of a town called Forks. If you blinked on the highway you missed it, that's how small it was," I snickered.

"What about you? Where did you grow up?" I asked curiously.

"I grew up in Chicago, and moved to California when I was fourteen to live with my aunt and uncle after my parents died," he replied.

"I'm sorry. That must have been hard for you," I said sympathetically.

"It was for a while, but Esme and Carlisle are amazing people, and I had always been close to them so it made it a bit easier," he replied and I nodded.

"Did you like living in California?" I asked and he shook his head as he chuckled.

"No...that's where I get my low tolerance for flaky people from. I hated it there. Most of the people that I went to school with there were extremely fake and overly conceited. I couldn't wait to get out of there, so as soon as I graduated I moved to Alaska," he said as we stopped and sat down on the sand.

"What made you choose Alaska?" I asked curiously.

"We have some family there. I had been there a few times with Esme and Carlisle and I loved it. It's a beautiful place. Have you ever been there?" he asked and I shook my head.

"You told Tyler earlier that you don't get paid to work here. Is that true?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, it's true. I don't need the money, and I do it because I enjoy it. It beats sitting in the house doing nothing all day," he said as he shrugged.

"My father was a stock broker in Chicago, a damn good one too. When I was a kid, every Sunday, we would sit together at the table and he would teach me everything he knew about stocks and the market. He taught me how to track trends and things like that as we went through the weekly copy of the 'Wall Street Journal'."

"Emmett likes to joke that I'm some kind of prodigy or savant, but really it's just because my father taught me well. When they died, they left me a rather sizable inheritance, and when I was about nineteen I started playing around in the market with it. I only dabbled at first, but then I started doing really well with it so I invested more, and the rest they say is history," he chuckled.

"Yeah...I don't know anything abut that kind of stuff," I laughed. "I grew up thinking a bank account with more than a hundred bucks in it qualified you as being rich."

"What do your parents do?" he chuckled.

"My dad is the Chief of Police in Forks...doesn't pay all that well, and my mom is a housewife... and not a very good one at that," I said as I rolled my eyes.

"You told me about your dad last night, what's your mom like?" he asked curiously and I sighed.

"Renee is... eccentric," I chuckled. "She's flighty and childish most of the time. She has a tendency to act like my best friend instead of my mother...which irritates the life out of me, and she's always up to something new. A few years ago it was painting, then it was yoga, then quilting, and my favorite of them all... _bungee jumping_," I said and we both laughed.

"She's a free spirit...the exact opposite of my father," I said as I shook my head.

"Who are you more like? Your mother or your father?" he asked and I groaned.

"If I had to choose...I'd say my father. Charlie and I are alike in the way that we can sit in a room without feeling like the walls are closing in on us the way my mother does. We don't feel the need to talk 24/7 about absolutely nothing of consequence, even though Charlie takes that to the extreme. He's an unusually quiet man, but I think that may come from years of listening to my mother chatter non-stop," I snorted and he laughed.

"We both have a hard time showing our true emotions as well. Like for instance, I know my father loves me more than anything, but he rarely says it. In his eyes, it's a given, a constant...something that will never change so why repeat it over and over again. But while Charlie is like that with everyone, I'm not. I don't wear my heart on my sleeve, but I don't keep it behind Fort freaking Knox either," I chuckled.

"What were your parents like?" I asked curiously and he seemed to think about it for a minute before speaking.

"My father was strict, but we had a good relationship. I wasn't much of a trouble maker, so he rarely had to play the authoritarian role. He worked a lot, and even when he was home he was usually in his office until late hours of the night. I saw him mostly on weekends when he would take me to the batting cages or we'd go to the park and toss a football around for a while. He was warm and affectionate to both my mother and I. He was a great man," he said and I smiled and nodded.

"My mother was a very passionate woman. She played the piano, it was one of her greatest loves, and she taught me how to play from a very young age. She loved art and the theater. She was kind hearted, gentle, affectionate, and incredibly doting. She had always wanted more children, but they were unable to, so she lavished all of her attention and care upon my father and I. When you meet my Aunt Esme, you'll get a good idea of what she was like. In some ways my Uncle Carlisle kind of reminds me of my father," he said and I nodded.

"They sound like they were wonderful people," I said wistfully and he nodded.

"Do you have any siblings?" he asked and I shook my head.

"No, by the time I came along, the "honeymoon phase" was over, and I think they only stayed together because of me. My parents' marriage is... a disaster really. After so many years of living that way, I think they've just grown used to it and accepted it for what it is," I replied sincerely.

"We should probably head back...it's getting late," he said as he brushed my hair over my shoulder. I nodded and he stood, holding out his hands to help me up.

"I have to take a couple of people out snorkeling tomorrow. Would you be interested in going?" he asked and I smiled.

"Isn't that Emmett's forte?" I chuckled and he laughed.

"He's taking a few people out para sailing in the morning, so he asked me to help out," he replied.

"Sure, it sounds like fun. Can Alice and Rosalie come along too?" I asked and he nodded.

"Of course. I wouldn't want them to miss it," he replied quickly.

"What time should we meet you, and where?" I inquired.

"Ten am, down at the dock where we met the last time," he said and I nodded as we stopped in front of my villa.

"So I'll see you in the morning?" he asked and then bent his head down for a kiss, which I gladly gave him before nodding.

He pressed his lips to mine once more and sighed as I tilted my head and sucked his bottom lip into my mouth. His tongue darted out in search of mine as I parted my mouth and ran a hand into his hair. His arms pulled me closer to him within his embrace as we continued to kiss.

"Sweet dreams, Bella," he said breathlessly as we broke apart. I took in a deep breath to steady my own breathing and smiled.

"You too, Edward. Goodnight," I said as I backed away and made my way up the steps. I got to the door and went to open it but it was locked.

"Shit," I muttered to myself and raised my hand to knock on the door, feeling like an idiot. I knocked and waited, but didn't hear anything.

"ROSE! ALI! OPEN THE DOOR!" I shouted as I knocked on the door again. Thank God no one was staying in the villas on either side of us. Again there was nothing but silence on the other side of the door.

"Well crap," I muttered.

"Locked out?" Edward asked and I gasped as I spun around, nearly jumping straight out of my skin.

"Yeah," I chuckled as my pulse pounded in my ears.

"Come on, we'll get the spare key from the lobby," he said as he took my hand and led me down the steps.

"Thank you, I don't know what I would have done if I would have been locked out all night," I said gratefully.

"Easily remedied," he chuckled and I laughed.

"Hey, Lucia. How are you?" he asked the lady sitting behind the front desk.

"I'm doing well, Edward. Haven't seen you around in while. How have you been?" she asked pleasantly.

"Been great, thanks. Listen, I need the spare key for villa five. Bella's roommates locked her out," he chuckled and I swatted his arm as I blushed.

"Sure, give me one second," she said as she disappeared through a door. She came out a minute later with an apologetic expression.

"Um... we don't have one. I'm sorry," she said and my stomach fell a bit.

"How many keys do we usually have for each villa?" he asked as his eyebrows furrowed.

"Four. How many were given to you at check in, honey?" she asked kindly.

"Um three I'm pretty sure," I responded.

"I can call Tyler and see if he has seen the other key," she offered and Edward shook his head.

"It's alright, Lucia. It's probably just lost. I'll replace it tomorrow. Can I have one of the keys for villa four?" he asked and she nodded and disappeared once more through the door.

"You can stay in that one tonight until you can get back in to yours in the morning," he said as he caressed my cheek.

"I don't have anything to wear to sleep or in the morning," I said sheepishly.

"I'll take care of it, don't worry," he said and I nodded as I leaned into him.

"Here you go. Sorry about this, honey," she said remorsefully.

"It's alright. It's my fault really for not taking a key with me," I said sincerely.

"Come on. Let's get you settled in," he said as he wrapped his arm around me.

"Goodnight, Lucia," he called to her.

"Goodnight Edward, you too honey," she called back. I smiled and waved to her. She seemed like a sweet lady.

Edward walked me back to villa four and opened the door for me. It was the same setup as ours only a different color. This one was white and coral, and all of the paintings were sunset landscapes.

"I'll be back in a few minutes with something for you to wear," he said and I nodded as he shut the door behind him. I took a few minutes to walk through the two bedroom villa, admiring the paintings that I now knew were done by his aunt. Minutes later, Edward walked back through the door.

"I didn't have much left that was clean, but I brought you a button down shirt and a pair of boxers," he said as he handed them to me.

"Thank you," I said gratefully as I took the clothes from him. "I'll be right back." He nodded and I headed off to change.

I found one of the bedrooms and went into the bathroom to change. I slipped out of my dress and pulled on his button down, and smiled as I held the collar to my nose. It smelled just like him. I fastened all the buttons except for the top two and slid into his boxers. They were too big so I ended up having to roll them up at the top. I folded my dress and dropped it on the dresser before heading back out to the living room.

Edward was sitting on the couch, flipping through channels on the television when I came back in and his gaze flickered to me. He froze with his hand mid-air as his eyes locked on me, a crooked grin slowly forming across his lips. I looked down at the floor and blushed as I fiddled with the bottom hem of the shirt. In an instant, he was off the couch and standing in front of me, cupping my face and guiding it upward.

"Forget the eyeful I got this morning. I rather prefer seeing you in my clothes," he whispered huskily as he peppered my face with soft kisses. I giggled nervously as I wrapped my arms around his waist. His lips finally pressed down onto my own and I sighed happily as our tongues touched. His taste was sweet and delicious and I couldn't get enough of it.

"I...should...really...go," he said in between kisses.

"Don't go," I whispered as I opened my eyes and locked onto his vibrant green ones. He pulled back slightly and looked at me.

"Please stay. I don't want to be here alone," I admitted nervously.

"Are you sure?" he asked as his eyes flickered between mine. I nodded.

"Yes, I'm sure. Stay...please," I replied as I leaned up to kiss him once more.

"Okay," he whispered against my lips as he rubbed his nose against mine.

He turned and shut off the television and light in the living room, leaving us standing in the moonlight that filtered in through the windows. He took my hand and led me into the bedroom and pulled down the blanket for me. I slipped under the covers, and pulled down the other side for him as he walked around the bed. I looked away as he undid his buckle and shed his pants. A minute later I felt him slide into the bed next to me, and when I looked back at him, his chest was bare. Edward in the sun shirtless was beautiful, but Edward shirtless in the moonlight was enough to make me want to cry.

He quickly set the alarm clock next to the bed and then turned toward me. I'm fairly certain my mouth was still hanging open and I could have been drooling by that point as he chuckled and pulled me toward him.

"You forgot to take your hair clips out," he chuckled quietly as he tried to run his fingers through my hair.

"Oops," I giggled and reached up to pull them out.

"I got them, hold on," he said softly as he gently pulled them out of my hair. Once he had them all out he placed them on the nightstand.

"Are you comfortable?" he asked as he ran one of his hands through my hair and caressed my arm with his other as I laid my head on his chest.

"Very," I replied sincerely as I snuggled closer to him. The feeling of his light touch and sound of his steady heartbeat was quickly lulling me to sleep.

"Sweet dreams," he said quietly as he kissed the top of my head.

"Goodnight," I murmured as I kissed his chest and laid my head back down. His breath hitched for a moment as my lips touched his skin and I smiled knowing I had the same affect on him as he did me.

In his arms I felt safe, warm, and loved. Never in my life had I ever experienced anything even close to what I felt when I was in his arms. I felt complete and indescribably happy. As I drifted off to sleep, I wished with every fiber of my being that this could last longer than just four weeks. That this feeling could last forever. That _we_ could last forever.

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**AN: Reviews are better than having your roomates lock you out...that is unless your night ends in a sleep over with Edward! Much love to you all who are actually reviewing this as you read it...for those of you that aren't...shame on you *shakes finger* tsk tsk tsk. Love yas! ~Jersey~**


	8. Damn Barracudas!

**AN: I'm glad so many of you look forward to these updates...because I seriously can't stop myself from posting them. I actually had to laugh hysterically at myself as I had just started loading this chapter to post it and Fiona Apple's "Addict" came on my iPod playlist. If that isn't someone sending me a sign I don't know what is LMAO. Anyways...addict or not, I'm posting! HUZZAH!!! ...that's for you yellowipod LOL. Thank you to all of you who suggested some music for me, I found a few treasures to add to my collection. ^_^**

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Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of it's characters, but I have had the crap scared out of me by a damn barracuda. Mean lookin suckers! Oh yeah...SM owns all these characters... well most of em anyway ^_^

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Damn Barracudas!

BPOV

I awoke the following morning to a mix of the alarm clock buzzing annoyingly and Edward's light rhythmic snoring. I quickly reached over silencing the alarm, and then nestled back into his side. I placed a few kisses across his chest before putting my head back down and tracing his defined muscles with my fingers.

"Edward," I said softly as I tapped him lightly on his chest. He hummed and pulled me closer to him.

"Edward," I chuckled as I shook his shoulder. "You have to get up."

"Mmhmm," he hummed again and rolled slightly toward me, wrapping his other arm around me.

"I don' wanna get up," he mumbled as he nuzzled his face into my hair.

"You have to. We're going snorkeling in a few hours," I chuckled as I rubbed his back.

"Mmm that feels good," he said, his voice thick with sleep as he snuggled even closer to me. I smiled and kissed his shoulder.

I rubbed his back for a few more minutes, and just when I was about to tell him we had to get up again, he placed a few kisses trailing up my neck, the final one landing on the spot behind my ear.

"Alright, I'm up. As much as I'd like to stay wrapped up like this all day, the vision of your big chocolate brown eyes staring back at me through goggles is too tempting to pass up," he chuckled and I swatted his arm as I snorted. I was probably going to look like an idiot. He pulled his head back and grinned at me before placing a few chaste kisses against my lips.

"Do you want to shower here or head back next door?" he asked as he rubbed circles on my back over his shirt.

"I'll probably head back next door. I don't have any soap or anything here, and those little bottles are only enough for one person," I replied and he nodded.

"Okay, gimme ten minutes to take a quick shower and then I'll walk you back over," he said and I nodded.

With one last kiss, he slid out of the bed and picked up his clothes from the night before as he made his way over to the bathroom. I got out of the bed and wandered off into the other bathroom to try to make myself look at least a little presentable before I took the short walk of shame back to my villa. My hair looked as though I had been stuck in a wind tunnel all night long. I chuckled as I tried to tame it the best I could with my fingers. It still looked shocking by the time I gave up on my efforts. I splashed some cool water on my face and dried it off, then headed back into the other room after changing back into my dress.

When I got back into the room, Edward was walking out of the bathroom, his khakis slung low on his hips with his belt still undone, shirtless, and running a towel through his hair. It took everything in me not to tackle him down to the floor like some wild animal. Never in my life had I ever been hit with such a sudden wave of desire. All I wanted to do was trace my tongue over every defined line of his muscular chest and abs that I had explored this morning with my fingers. He looked up and smirked at me as he tossed his wet towel aside.

"See something you like?" he chuckled. I tried to say something witty in return, but only succeeded in whimpering as I blushed like a fool. He chuckled again as he wrapped his arms around me, and peppered my face with soft sweet kisses.

"It's good to know that I have the same affect on you as your beauty does on me," he said in between kisses.

"I'm often left speechless in your presence," he said with a soft smile as he pulled back.

"Is that so? I hadn't noticed. I thought you were the only one capable of _dazzling _people," I managed to reply coyly.

"Dazzling?" he chuckled and I nodded as I grinned. "Why do you call it _dazzling_?"

"Because all it takes is one look at you and we become dazzled. We lose any ability to think, speak, and sometimes even breathe," I laughed and he scoffed.

"You're utterly absurd. If anyone's capable of _dazzling_, as you call it, it's you," he retorted and it was my turn to scoff.

"Whatever, you're an Adonis reincarnate and I'm a plain Jane. The dazzling powers reside solely within you," I argued as I poked him lightly in his chest.

"_Adonis_? I'm a reincarnate of a vegetation god?" he chuckled and I laughed as I nodded.

"Well if I'm a reincarnate of Adonis then you're a reincarnate of Venus," he chuckled again and I gasped.

"No! That would mean that you would be repulsed by me!" I shrieked as I swatted him.

"What?" he asked confusedly.

"Adonis was revolted by Venus's seduction of him, and in the end she killed him because he rejected her," I explained quickly.

"Well then it's at least half suiting," he said with a thoughtful expression as I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at him. He quickly grasped my face in his hands and placed a passionate, searing kiss against my lips.

"It's suiting because _you_, Bella Swan, will be the death of me," he said as he pulled back and gazed into my eyes, still holding my face in his warm strong hands. I rolled my eyes and snorted.

"Can we find some other mythological Gods and Goddesses to represent us? Please?" I pleaded with a pout as I looked up at him through my lashes.

"Alright, alright," he chuckled, placing a quick kiss against my lips. "How about we just forget all about mythology and just be Bella and Edward?"

"Mmm I like the sound of that," I replied with a grin as I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned up to kiss him. I'd never tire of kissing those pillow soft lips of his.

Edward half sighed, half moaned as he tilted his head to the side and deepened our kiss. His hand came up into my hair to cradle the back of my head as his other arm pulled tightly against my waist, pressing me against him. As our breathing became erratic, he slowed the kiss to sweet pecks that he showered down the side of my jaw and neckline.

"If we keep this up we'll never make it to the dock," he murmured against the crook of my neck. I giggled at the tickling sensation of his warm breath against my skin and pulled myself away from his arms. I took a quick look at the clock, noting that it was almost eight am, and pushed myself back from him a few steps.

"Get dressed," I chuckled. "If you keep standing in front of me like that we'll never make it out of this room... much less to the dock."

He grinned and moved to get his shirt from the bathroom as I went to pick up my hair pins from the night before off of his nightstand. I folded his clothes that I had worn to sleep and placed them on the corner of the dresser so we wouldn't forget to take them with us, and picked up my shoes, placing them on top of the clothes. I quickly checked around the room to make sure we weren't leaving anything behind, not that we had really had anything with us to be left behind in the first place.

"Are you ready?" he asked as he strolled out of the bathroom. I smiled and nodded as I picked up the pile of his clothing and my shoes.

"About as ready as I'll ever be to take the walk of shame. At least you don't look like you just rolled out of a bed," I chuckled and he laughed.

"Walk of shame?" he asked with a questioning look. I snorted as I shook my head.

"Yeah, you know...when you sneak out of a hotel room in the wee hours of the morning, looking thoroughly disheveled from a late night romp in the sack, and everyone you pass knows what you were up to just by taking one quick look at you," I explained and he chuckled as he shook his head.

"Damn... how did I miss the romp in the sack part?" he joked and I put on the straightest face I could muster.

"You were sleeping. I must say you're quite a heavy sleeper to have missed the wild orgy that took place in the bed right next to you," I said as my lips quivered with the effort I was putting forth not to laugh.

"And just who were the members of this wild orgy you speak of?" he asked with a quirked brow, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Oh...just me, your shirt, boxers, and the flawless vision of you in the moonlight," I replied as a cheesy grin spread across my face. He laughed as he wrapped his arms around me and swayed us slightly and gazed into my eyes.

"What am I going to do with you?" he asked as he brushed the hair away from the side of my face.

"Keep me?" I suggested with a hopeful smile. He nodded and placed a sweet kiss against my lips.

"Definitely," he whispered as he pulled away. I smiled like a goon as he took the pile of clothing and shoes from me and laced our fingers together.

"Let's go," he said and I nodded as I followed behind him.

The minute we stepped out of the front door, we were assaulted with cat calls and whistles from next door. Alice and Rosalie were sitting out on the front porch, laughing as they watched us walk down the steps and toward them.

"BOWCHIKAWOWOW!" Rose sang and I blushed as I glared at her.

"What were _you _two up to last night?" she laughed and I scoffed as Edward chuckled.

"You two asses locked me out! If it weren't for Edward I would have been sleeping on the beach!" I yelled, trying to avoid letting them know that I really wasn't angry... farthest thing from it actually.

"What are you talking about? The key was in the flowers. Neither of us were here last night," Rosalie said with a confused look and my face almost burst into flames as I stared at her with wide eyes. Truth be told, I was surprised my eyes didn't pop out of my head.

"Wh..what?" I stuttered.

"Alice spent the night with Jasper in the villa he stays in, and I spent the night with Emmett at his house," she said as she pointed in different directions and walked toward the deck box. She gently sifted through the flowers and laughed as she pulled the key out of them.

"Son of a.." I muttered as I put my face in my hands.

"Sorry... when we couldn't find you we figured you would at least check the flower box," Alice said with a slight grimace.

"It's fine... it was my fault. I should have known to check there," I said through my embarrassment.

"You guys hide the key in the flowers?" Edward asked incredulously as he looked between the three of us. I sheepishly smiled as I looked up at him and nodded.

"Yeah we did that once when none of us had pockets to hold the key," I admitted and he shook his head.

"In the future, could you please just give the key to one of us to hold for you instead of leaving them in the flowers? I don't trust people around here and I'd hate to see what could happen if someone knew that you did that," he pleaded as he looked at all of us.

"Really, Edward. What's the worst that could happen?" Rosalie scoffed and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What if someone saw you do that and waited for you to leave it there just so they could rob you blind?" he asked and we all looked at each other.

"Okay... we'll leave the key with one of you," she relented quickly as we all nodded.

"We'll give you guys some privacy," Alice snickered as she pulled Rosalie into the villa behind her.

"Sorry about my friends," I apologized as I blushed and looked up at him. He traced his fingers over the heated skin on my cheek and smiled faintly.

"Nothing to be sorry for," he assured me. "Though I am rather disappointed that you didn't wake me for that wild orgy you had with my clothing," he chuckled and I bit my lip as I fought off my laughter.

"You should go get ready. I have to go get all the equipment in the boat and grab some breakfast real quick," he said and I nodded.

"I'll see you down there soon," he said as he leaned down for a kiss.

He watched as I walked up the steps and entered the villa, only to be verbally assaulted once I shut the door behind me.

"So did you two get your freak on last night or what? You've got that whole I got sexed up look thing going on," she chuckled and I scoffed as I went to plop down on the couch next to her.

"No," I said as I rolled my eyes. "He stayed with me next door because I didn't want to be there alone," I admitted. She eyed me skeptically for a minute and then rolled her eyes.

"Christ, Swan. You could have at least taken advantage of the situation. Lord knows I did... multiple times," she laughed and I grimaced.

"Rosalie, I don't wanna know," I muttered as I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. She and Alice erupted into laughter.

"Oh, Bella...it's not like you've never done the _deed _," she admonished and I cringed.

"Nice way to put it Rose, and if you remember correctly, it wasn't all that memorable," I grumbled.

"You can't let your previous experience lead you to believe that it's _always _like that. Face it, Bella, you two weren't ever meant to be together that way. That's what ruined it for you...well that and the fact that he guilt tripped you into doing it in the first damn place. Jesus, I could have killed him for that...should have in fact," she said as she squeezed my hand. I shrugged and nodded as I studied the thread pattern on the couch.

"Bella... look at me," she said, and I let my eyes drift upward as she squeezed my hand yet again.

"Not all sex is bad. When it's with someone that you connect with emotionally, it's a beautiful and enjoyable thing. You may have loved Jacob, but not in the way that you needed to for you to be able to enjoy that experience. You're not the type of person to engage in casual flings. You're one of those people that _need _that emotional connection to be intimate, especially after growing up in the sexually repressed shadow of your parents' marriage," she said and I nodded slightly.

"Speaking of Jacob...if he doesn't stop calling your damn phone I'm launching it into the ocean," Alice grumbled and my eyes shot to her.

"What?" I asked curiously.

"I got here just as the sun was coming up and your damn phone rang constantly for two freaking hours. I finally answered it and told him to piss off," she laughed and I snorted as I got off the couch and made my way to my room.

I picked the phone up and sure enough there were over fifteen missed calls and about twenty text messages. I deleted all of them and then sat on the bed as Rosalie and Alice walked in, taking up the space on either side of me as I pulled up his number and put the phone to my ear. Two rings later, he answered.

"Bella?" he asked, sounding excited.

"Yeah Jacob, it's me. Listen, I really need you to stop calling me," I said calmly.

"Bella, please will you just listen to me?" he pleaded and I shook my head.

"No, Jacob. It's over. You need to understand that and accept it. There's nothing left for us to fix. Move on."

"Bella, it can't be over. I need you," he pleaded and I nearly snorted.

"Jacob, stop. This is ridiculous. It's been two years. I'm over it, I'm happy, and I've found someone that makes me happy. Find someone that makes you happy, and let me enjoy the happiness I've found," I said, ignoring his angry growling.

"_Who is he_?" he growled and I rolled my eyes.

"It doesn't matter. You wouldn't know him, and it isn't any of your concern. Let me go, Jacob. I don't want to be with you. I don't love you the way I need to for us to be together. I never have, and deep down, you know that."

"You don't mean that," he replied determinedly.

"I do mean it. It's why we had so many problems. It's why I was never able to get as close to you as you wanted me to. I loved you as a friend, Jacob, nothing more. It took me forever to see it for what it was, but that's the truth. We don't belong together. We'd end up just like Charlie and Renee," I said truthfully.

"Bella, I love you, as more than a friend, and I know you love me too. You're just hurt, and I'm sorry. We can fix this," he plead and I started to get irritated with his inability to let go.

"Jacob...enough. Maybe _way_ down the road we can return to being friends, but that's the most that would ever come of us. For now, please just let me be and stop calling," I said exasperatedly. He sighed and went silent for a few moments.

"You're serious aren't you?" he asked just above a whisper.

"Yes, Jacob. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do to change it. It's how I feel," I said feeling relieved that he was finally getting it.

"No, it's not. It's just _him _making you think that way," he muttered angrily and I fought to keep my temper in check as I stood from the bed.

_Damned fool..._

"It's not _him _that makes me feel this way, Jacob. It's _you_. You hurt me more times than I care to count. Why can't you see that if I truly made you happy, and if you truly loved me, you wouldn't have cheated on me and walked out on me so many times? I'm a security blanket to you, that's all. It's not love, Jacob, it never has been. Let it go already," I rambled as I paced the floor.

"I can't let it go, Bells. I may have messed up, but I _do _love you. Why can't you see that?" he asked angrily.

"I'm done. I can't argue with you anymore. Stop calling or I'll change my number," I said, feeling defeated and snapped my phone shut.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" I asked incredulously as I looked at my friends and sank back down on the bed.

"He's a tool," Rosalie scoffed.

"You've _got _be kidding me," I muttered as my phone started ringing again.

"Good God he's dense," Alice grumbled as she shook her head. I took the phone apart again and tossed it into the drawer of the nightstand.

"I'm changing my number as soon as we get back. I can't deal with that anymore," I said, shaking my head.

"What time is it?"

"Quarter after nine," Alice said quickly and I jumped off the bed.

"Where's the fire?" Rose laughed.

"We're supposed to be down at the dock in forty five minutes and I haven't even showered yet," I replied quickly as I darted around the room grabbing clean clothing.

"What are we doing down at the dock?" she asked curiously.

"Um…Edward invited us to go snorkeling. He had to take a few people out and asked if we wanted to go. I told him we would. Are you guys going to come?" I asked as I stopped and looked at them.

"Sure…sounds like fun," she said as she got up off the bed and Alice clapped excitedly.

After showering, I got dressed quickly and met Alice and Rosalie in the living room. We hurried off to grab some breakfast really fast at the buffet before heading down to the dock. We ended up being fifteen minutes late, but thankfully Edward and the others hadn't left yet. There were only three other people on the boat, two women and one man.

"I was beginning to think you all might have bailed on me," Edward chuckled as he helped us aboard.

"No…sorry. We ran a bit late after a heated phone call," I admitted with an apologetic expression.

"Everything okay?" he asked worriedly as he sat me down in the passenger seat. I nodded.

"Yeah, everything's fine," I replied reassuringly. He grinned and nodded.

"You guys all ready back there?" he asked as he turned his head to face them. A chorus of yeahs erupted and he laughed as he started to pull away from the dock.

"So where are we headed?!" the guy in the back hollered.

"There's a few spots on the south side of the island that are great for snorkeling, and then if there's time we can hit up the reef on the west side!" Edward hollered back and the guy nodded.

Alice and Rosalie were talking animatedly with each other in the back as we bounced and flew through the water. I was keeping myself busy by ogling Edward. Every once in a while he would look at me and either grin or wink, even going as far as to blow me a kiss once. I grinned like a fool the whole time, happier than I had been in years. Eventually he slowed the boat and killed the engine. He rose from his seat and dropped the anchor so the boat wouldn't drift away and then sat on the back of his seat.

"Alright, just a few things before we get in the water. If you're wearing anything shiny, take it off. It's not often that we spot them, but there are barracuda in the water, and they're attracted to anything shiny," he said and I gulped.

_Jesus..what else is in there?..._

"Second...don't touch the coral. Touching it will kill it, and if you touch the red ones you'll be hurting pretty bad," he said as he looked around and we all nodded. He got up and passed out some snorkels, masks, vests, and fins before taking his seat again.

"If your masks get foggy, spit in them and rub it around. It's gross...but it works," he chuckled and we all laughed.

"Always swim in groups. We're out in open water so you need to be aware of your surroundings. This isn't a protected tank, so if you happen to see a shark or anything like that, stay calm, warn the people around you, and _calmly _swim back to the boat. Thrashing about in the water will only draw them to you," he said and we all nodded. I was seriously having second thoughts about getting in that water, and from the looks of it, so were Alice and Rosalie.

"Are there really sharks in there this close to the shore?" Alice asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I've only ever spotted a few this close, but it is open water. There's nothing blocking them from where we are. If we get to the west side of the island, we're going to swim a short distance to shore then walk down the beach a bit. The reef that's there encloses an area towards the beach and nothing that big can pass over it," he said and she nodded.

_Can't we just go to the west side now?_

"Everybody ready?" he asked and they all nodded. I was slightly frozen. They all jumped in the water, and Edward turned to me. I laughed nervously as I got up from my seat.

"It'll be fine. We do this almost every day and there's never been a problem," he said reassuringly.

"Okay," I breathed.

He and I jumped over the side together and I wrestled with putting the mask on before I gave in and let him help me. Alice and Rosalie waited for us as they floated around the immediate area as the other three took off together.

"Bella," Edward chuckled and I looked at him through my fogging mask. "Breath through your mouth, not your nose," he said as he pulled the mask from my face and spit in it. After rinsing it out, he helped me put it back on.

"Mouth, not nose," he chuckled and I laughed.

"Got it," I replied as I nodded.

"Ready?" he asked, and I nodded again.

"Bella! Come on!" Alice squealed and then put her snorkel back in her mouth as she put her face back in the water. I followed right after, and together, Edward and I swam toward them.

It was surreal looking under the water. There were colorful fish and coral surrounding rocks all across the bottom of the ocean floor. The water wasn't all that deep, probably about fifteen feet at most where we were. I looked at everything as we glided through the water, heading into more shallow waters. Someone tapped my shoulder and I looked to my side to see Edward looking at me and pointing off to his left.

I looked around him and saw three sea turtles gliding through the water. I smiled, and made a mistake by doing so as water flooded my mouth and went into my snorkel. Like an ass, I panicked and started thrashing as I pulled my head above water and choked the water out. Edward pulled out of the water quickly and chuckled.

"Calm down. When that happens, just blow the water out of the tube," he said as I coughed.

"You okay, Bells?" Rose asked as she popped out of the water next to me. I nodded and twisted the snorkel around to dump the water out of it.

Once I was situated again, I put my face back in the water and we continued to swim around. A few minutes later, we met up with the other group of people as we floated atop the surface of the shallow water. There were so many different fish swimming around everywhere.

Edward led the entire group to a few different spots and we floated aimlessly as we watched all of the sea life below us. Every once in a while someone would tap my arm and I'd look to see what they were pointing at. I repeatedly wished I had one of those underwater cameras with me. At some point, I turned around and started floating on the other side of them. A long, huge silver fish swam past me and I freaked the hell out.

"BARRACUDA!" I screamed through my snorkel as I fought to swim away. Edward spun around in the water quickly to see what I was screaming about as I latched myself to him. He erupted into laughter as he wrapped his arm around me and pulled his head out of the water.

"Bella...that was a tarpon," he laughed as he treaded the water beneath us. Rosalie, Alice and the others were bobbing upright in the water laughing hysterically at my terrified expression.

"Love, you're fine. They're harmless," he said as I fought to calm my racing heart. He spun me slightly so that my legs were wrapped around his waist instead of clinging to his stomach and back, and pulled our masks up to our foreheads.

"You okay?" he asked with a slight grin before placing a chaste kiss on my lips. I nodded slightly, feeling incredibly embarrassed.

"Let's get you out of these dangerous tarpon infested waters," he teased and I swatted his arm as I pouted. He laughed and turned us around.

"You guys want to head to the west side?" he asked and everyone nodded.

Edward let me go, and we swam back to the boat. He pulled down a little step ladder from the back and instructed us to step onto it backwards, then sit on the platform to take our flippers off before climbing back in the boat. When it was my turn, he took my flippers off for me and then took his own off as I stood up on the platform. I picked them all up and climbed over the seats as he climbed up the ladder.

Once everyone was seated, he offered everyone to help themselves from the cooler as he started the boat back up and pulled up the anchor. Rose tossed me a bottle of water, which of course I missed and had to pick it up off the floor before it rolled away. Edward chuckled lightly as Rosalie shook her head and sat back down. I took a few sips and then offered some to Edward. He took the bottle gratefully and took a few swigs before handing it back to me. A short while later, he slowed the boat to a stop again and killed the engine.

"Alright everyone, stay in a group and swim in a straight line toward the shore," he said and we all nodded as we put our vests back on.

When we were all ready, we hopped overboard and put our fins and masks on. We spent more time floating and looking at things than actually swimming toward shore, but we eventually made it. I had a hard time walking through the shallow water with the stupid flippers and then felt like an ass, yet again, when I noticed everyone else was carrying their flippers. Edward chuckled and shook his in his hand at me. I rolled my eyes and stopped to take mine off.

Once on shore, Edward took my hand and led the way down the beach. The west side of the island was beautiful. The forestry was lush and colorful. While I was looking at the scenery, I gasped as a giant white _mansion_ popped out from the dense foliage.

"_Damn. _Who the hell lives there?" the guy in our group asked. Edward and Rosalie chuckled as they looked at him.

"Uh, my family does," Edward said, looking a little embarrassed.

"Shit...that's gotta be the biggest house I've ever seen!" he crowed.

"It's beautiful, Edward," I said quietly as I leaned into him.

"My aunt has a flair for architecture. That's her prized masterpiece," he grinned.

I looked back at the house and noticed that almost the entire back of it was made of glass. There was a stone staircase that led up to it as it stood loud and proud amidst the dense foliage surrounding the other three sides of it.

"Why did your aunt choose the west side to build the house? It seems steeper on this side than the others," I said curiously.

"She actually didn't. The house that was there was knocked down and they built that one. She made the entire back of the house one giant window so that you could see the sunsets from inside," he replied and I nodded. I could only imagine how beautiful the sunsets were to watch from the deck that extended off the back of the house.

Edward led us back into the water, directly in front of the mansion. Almost immediately, everyone took off swimming in different directions. Alice and Rosalie took off to the right, the other people that were with us took off to the left, and Edward and I floated lazily together somewhere in the middle of everyone.

As we floated, Edward pointed out different fish and would lift his head from the water to tell me what they were. I think he was trying to rub in the fact that I mistook a tarpon for a barracuda. Jerk.

Thoroughly exhausted and pruned, I pulled myself out of the water, making my way toward a shady area on the beach. I took off my vest and used it as a pillow to lay my head on while I waited for everyone else to come out of the water. I had just closed my eyes when Alice's squeal ripped through the peaceful air, followed closely by the musical laughter of Edward and Rosalie.

"Bella! A lobster just swam between my feet!" she shrieked and I laughed.

I turned my head to the side to look at her, but I was transfixed by the sight of Edward walking through the water toward the shore. He almost appeared to glitter as droplets of water trickled down his bare chest. Watching the way his muscles twitched as he walked, carrying all of his snorkel gear at his sides was mesmerizing. The man was truly perfect. I couldn't find a single flaw on him as he drew closer to me. He dropped his gear next to mine and sank down to the sand right next to me, looking more beautiful than any person had a right to.

"Had enough snorkeling for one day?" he asked, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips. I nodded, still mesmerized by his beauty.

"Yeah, I don't know how you guys do this every day. It's exhausting," I replied honestly. "I've done more in the last three days than I have in the last two years." He nodded and sniggered lightly.

"It's easy to do things like this every day," he replied then laughed. "It's going to a regular nine to five job that baffles me."

"Well," I chuckled, "Not everyone is lucky enough to know their way around the stock market and live on a family owned tropical island."

"True, I guess I truly am blessed," he joked.

_Oh he has no idea…_

"So what's your favorite thing to do with the guests?" I asked curiously.

"Probably zip lining. I think it's funny to see their reactions after we harness them and hand them a stick to use as a brake," he laughed and I quirked an eyebrow at him.

"A stick as a brake?" He smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, it's shaped kind of like a hook. You hook it over the cable and pull to slow down. Sometimes, if they pull on it hard enough, it'll start smoking and Emmett will yell "Stick on fiya!" It's pretty funny when they freak out and drop the stick," he chuckled and I shook my head. That sounded just like Emmett.

"How often do you take people to do that?" I asked as I looked up at him, shielding the light from my eyes with my hand.

"Not too often actually. Most people don't want to be bothered with the work involved in getting to the top. They're usually all up for it until we say the words hike and rugged terrain," he laughed.

"Yep. You lost me there too," I chuckled as I nodded.

"Aww, it's so much fun though. You guys have to try it," he said as he smiled down at me.

"No way. Anything with hiking and rugged terrain is like a death sentence for me," I laughed.

"Come on, you said that about the mopeds and you rode a motorcycle. I have complete faith in you, and besides, I'll be there the whole time to keep you safe," he replied, trying to be persuasive.

I looked at him for a series of moments, trying to find a way for me to say no to him. Unfortunately it was impossible to do when he set those smoldering eyes on me, and truth be told, if he was right there with me, there probably wasn't a single thing on the Earth that I wouldn't try.

"Okay, we'll try it at some point before we leave," I promised. He grinned widely and leaned toward me to place a sweet chaste kiss against my lips.

"What are we trying before we leave?" Alice asked, drawing me from my Edward induced daze.

"Umm, zip lining or something like that," I replied as my dazzled haze faded. She bounced excitedly.

"OhmygodBellayou'llhavesomuchfun!" she squealed so quickly I almost didn't catch it. I think the only people capable of understanding her when she did that were probably Rosalie and I.

"Yeah, Bells. You shoulda gone with us when we went in Jamaica three years ago. It's a real rush," Rose said as she nodded enthusiastically.

"Just what I look for in life," I retorted sarcastically.

"Are you guys all ready to head back?" Edward asked as the others emerged from the water. They nodded to him and we stood up to start our trek back down the beach.

"You don't have to work the bar after doing this all day, do you?" I asked concernedly. Edward smiled and shook his head as we walked.

"No. Mike and Eric are going to cover the bar tonight since I did the snorkeling tour. Why?"

"Damn. Cause there's this really hot bartender that I've seen working there. He makes these awesome drinks called Brunette Goddesses, and I was hoping he'd be there to make me one. You wouldn't be able to track him down for me would you?" I joked and he laughed.

"Hot guy, huh? I might have to have a talk with him about serving my girl drinks. Wouldn't want him to make a move on you or anything," he smirked and I laughed.

"Oh, he could make a move on me any time," I said as I winked at him. It occurred to me briefly that I might have a slight case of sun poisoning, or at least there might be something in the water for me to be flirting so shamelessly.

"Any time?" he asked as he quirked a brow. I nodded and felt the blood rush to my cheeks as I blushed inexplicably. All this time I hadn't blushed… maybe my blush was drunk and having a delayed reaction or something.

"I'll keep that in mind," he replied with a wink. I chuckled as I started putting my gear back on to get back in the water. We swam back to the boat, only stopping a few times to look around, and climbed back in.

"Are any of you hungry? We can stop by a place right on the beach on the way back," Edward said after we had gotten all our gear stowed away.

"Dude, I'm starvin'!" the guy bellowed and the two women with him nodded. I didn't miss how the curly headed brunette was eyeing Edward up as she nodded either.

"Are we going back to Mezcalito's?" Alice asked and Edward nodded as he pulled up the anchor.

"You should put some more sun block on. Your arms are starting to burn again," he said as he trailed his hand down my arm.

"Yours too," I snickered as I embraced him in a one armed hug. He shrugged and kissed my forehead before making his way up to his seat. I grabbed the bottle of sun block from Alice and applied it to all the bare skin I could reach as Edward started up the boat and we started moving through the water. Alice applied it to my back, and I did the same in return for her.

When she and Rosalie were both finished, I took the bottle and cautiously made my way up to the front of the boat. I kept telling myself that I was doing this simply because I didn't want him to burn, but deep down, I knew I was just finding a reason to run my hands over his delicious body again like I had earlier in the morning.

I squirted some of the liquid into my hand and rubbed my palms together before placing one on each of his shoulders. His head fell forward slightly, and although I didn't hear it over the sound of the boat speeding through the water, I felt him groan.

I put a little more in my hands and worked it all the way down his back and sides, and even down his arms. When I was finished, he pulled me around to the front of him and smirked at me.

"You missed a spot," he chuckled as he pointed to his chest.

"I figured I'd let you do that part. You know, since you can reach it yourself and all," I replied as I smirked back at him.

"But I like it better when you do it. I might have to go on a sun block strike if you force me to do it myself," he pouted and I laughed as I rolled my eyes.

"Well, we wouldn't want you to burn now would we?" I asked rhetorically as I squirted some more lotion into my hands. He grinned and shook his head as he kept one arm around me to steady me. I made sure to cover every perfect inch of his chest and abdomen, and even gently applied some to his face, neck, and ears. He chuckled as I did that and I smiled lovingly at him.

"Thank you," he said simply as he bent his head down to place a moist kiss against my lips.

"Mmm, do I get that in return every time I put sun block on you?" I asked coyly as he pulled away. He chuckled and kissed me again.

"You, my love, can get that any time you wish,' he replied as he pulled me in to his side.

Edward once again slowed the boat and then skillfully maneuvered it up to the dock. I backed away so he could tie the lines up and went to stand by Alice and Rosalie. They both pulled me down to sit between them and grinned widely at me.

"Aww, you two look so cute together," Alice squealed quietly. I chuckled and slapped her arm lightly.

"Really Bells, you two look perfect together," Rosalie commented as she smiled at me.

"Yeah...perfectly impossible. He's perfect and I'm…plain at best. I can't even think of one good reason why he'd want to be with me," I muttered as I studied my fingernails. They were quite interesting at the moment for some reason. Rosalie and Alice both scoffed and I looked up just in time to see that curly headed brunette eyeing me as if she were sizing up her competition.

_Bring it bitch. He's mine for as long as he wants me…_ I thought to myself as I narrowed my eyes at her. She rolled her eyes dismissively and stood, adjusting her obviously fake cleavage.

"You guys ready?" Edward asked. We nodded as we stood from our seats and followed the other three out of the boat with his assistance. Bimbo kept eyeing him as he helped the three of us out of the boat, and I felt an urge to slap that ogling look off of her face.

"So how long have you been working at the resort?" she asked in a sickeningly sweet voice. Again I wanted to slap the hell out of her.

"Uh, since it opened about eight years ago or so," he replied as he stepped slightly behind me. I wanted to laugh at his instinct to use me as a shield against her. I'd gladly stand between the two of them any day of the week.

"Do you like working there?" she asked as she tried to step a little closer to him. He stepped to the side again, placing himself on my right as she came to my left.

"Yeah, it's alright most days," he replied hesitantly. I don't know why, but seeing him act so nervous by her advance was quite humorous to me at the moment. It was effectively diverting my attention away from wanting to slap the shit out of her.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked as we walked toward the giant hut on the beach. Her blatant dismissal of my presence between them as she tried to touch him immediately squandered any humor I had seen in the situation before hand. He looked down to me with pleading eyes and I sent him a small smile as I wrapped my arms around his waist.

"Actually, he does," I answered for him and almost laughed at the slightly audible sigh of relief that he released.

"No, honey," she said disdainfully. "I said _girlfriend_, not _toy_."

"Whoa, _whoa_!" Edward cried out as he pulled me slightly behind him. I smirked at her as he pulled my arms around his waist from behind him.

"Listen, I don't know what kind of guy you think I am, but I don't play the flavor of the week game like some people do around here," he said as he rubbed my arm gently. She smirked and quirked an eyebrow in his direction.

"Oh really? Then who was that woman I saw you with last week?" she asked smugly.

"What woman?" he asked, and I kept my mouth shut, ignoring the pang in my chest, because I really wanted to hear where this was going.

"I saw the two of you get off a rather large boat last week and you had your arm around her as you led her through the pool area and into the lobby," she responded with a smug look. It fell as soon as he started laughing.

"You mean _that _woman?" he chortled as he pointed toward the hut. She nodded and I looked to the side to see who they were talking about. She was stunning with shiny brown hair, a body that rivaled Rosalie's, and a tan to die for.

"She's my cousin," he laughed as he waved her over.

"What's up Eddie?" she asked as I stepped to his side and she gave him a one armed hug. Bimbo looked slightly embarrassed at having misinterpreted their relationship. I was thankful I hadn't opened my big trap either when she had planted that seed of doubt in my head.

"You know I hate it when you call me that," he whined as she laughed as I smiled at him.

"I know. That's why I do it. Lighten up Eddie-poo. You need to live a little…although Mom seems to think you're livening up lately," she said as she winked at me.

"Hi, I'm Kate. Ed-_ward _here has no manners. You must be Bella," she said as she held out her hand. I shot Bimbo a smug grin briefly as I shook Kate's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Kate," I said sincerely.

"Hey, you guys just missed Em. He was here looking for all of you about a half hour ago or so," she said as she looked back at Edward. Bimbo stalked off toward the hut seconds after my smug grin.

"I guess he's all done with the parasailing. Is Aunt Di around?" he asked as we started walking toward the hut again.

"Of course. Mom's chatting away with Rosalie and Alice. I have to say, for once I think she was right about all of her fate and destiny hoopla," Kate laughed and I looked at her curiously as Edward chuckled. Kate caught my look and laughed as she shook her head.

"My mother thinks she can tell when people are destined to be together, and my father swears he can judge the strength of people's relationships by just being around them. When you put both of my parents together it's like being in some psychic matchmaking parallel dimension. I've always thought it was bunk, but they've never been wrong yet," she said with a thoughtful expression.

"Kaitlyn Anne, do not mock me," Diane chastised as she swirled in her seat.

"Sure thing, Ma. Hey when are you going to make that commercial like Cleo at the Psychic Friends Network? You know, "Call me now for your free reading," she joked in a Jamaican accent. Alice, Rose, and I cracked up. Diane shook her head and chuckled lightly.

"She won't be poking fun when it's her turn," she said with a knowing smile.

"Hello, Bella dear. How are you?" she asked as she turned her smile to me.

"I'm great, thanks. How have you been?" I asked politely.

"Wonderful. Here let me get out of your seat. Can I get you something to drink?" she asked. I don't know why, but I felt bad having her wait on me.

"Um…I'll have another one of Marcus's famous margaritas if that's alright.". She smiled and nodded, patting Edward on the cheek as she walked by.

"So what was with Miss Bitch over there?" Rose asked and I started chuckling.

"She was trying to flirt with Edward," I said simply, rolling my eyes.

"So that's why you looked constipated?" she chortled as she looked at him.

"Yeah, well it isn't my first run in with her since she's been here," he said, looking embarrassed. "I was forced to run their parasailing trip last week, and after about an hour I wanted to jump ship and swim for shore," he chuckled and we laughed.

"What the hell did she do?" Rose guffawed and Edward made a gesture for her to keep it down.

"She kept trying to get me to teach her how to drive the boat, asked what every dial or light was for, and kept trying to push herself against me. Derek and Mel, the ones with her, are great, but she's a piece of work. I was pretty surprised she kept her distance throughout the morning," he said quietly.

"You act like it's the worst thing in the world," Rose scoffed.

"No, not the worst thing, but it's still uncomfortable," he said with a troubled look. Undoubtedly reflecting upon the pain that drunken woman had inflicted upon him.

"Yeah, I guess when it's unwelcome it can be uncomfortable," Rose replied and nodded as Diane came back with a pitcher of margaritas for us.

We all ordered food and talked about the snorkeling trip. More than one barracuda joke was thrown out at my expense, but I laughed it off. A short while later, I looked up and saw Derek making his way over to our table, leaving behind Mel who was looking sternly at a scowling bimbo.

"Hey, I'm sorry for the way Jess is acting. She can be a little pushy at times," he said with an apologetic expression.

"It's alright, man," Edward said as he waved it off.

"I overheard what she said to you," he said softly as he looked at me. "She didn't mean it. She's just pissed that some guy at the resort pulled a bang and bail on her."

I felt horrible as I looked back at her. It could have easily been one of the three of us that someone had done that to.

"Who was it?" Edward asked, sounding genuinely upset.

"I'm not sure. She wouldn't tell us."

Edward turned to me and kissed my forehead. "I'll be right back," he said and I nodded as he walked toward their table.

"He's a good guy. I've spent a pretty good amount of time talking to him down at the bar while those two were off doing their own thing," Derek said suddenly and I instantly recognized him as the guy at the bar that Edward had been laughing with our first night on the island.

I smiled and nodded to him. "Yeah, he is."

"Don't let anything she says get to you. She got burned because she wouldn't listen to Mel…or Kelly. That's all there is to it. I think Jess is just acting up because she saw how affectionate he is with you and he paid her no mind over the last week. She isn't used to that," he said and I looked up at him.

"Thanks, I'll try not to hold it against her or anything," I replied sincerely.

"I should get back. If she starts up again, just let Mel or I know and we'll handle her," he offered and I shook my head.

"I'm sure it will be fine. Enjoy your lunch," I responded with a friendly smile. Edward was right, he was a pretty great guy.

Edward and Derek exchanged a few words and a handshake as they crossed back to their tables, and he took his seat next to me again.

"So who was it?" Alice asked sadly.

"Tyler," he replied as he shook his head.

"What are you going to do?" Rose asked curiously.

"Fire his ass. He's been warned time and time again not to fraternize with the guests, but he continues to do it. It hurts business. Mike and Eric are on their last leg as well," he replied and we all nodded.

Marcus and Diane came to sit with us for a while as Kate tended the bar. The place was fairly busy this afternoon compared to the first time we had been there. When Derek, Mel, and Jess were ready, we said goodbye to Edward's family and thanked them for our meals before heading back to the boat.

As soon as we got on board and Edward and I caught Jess's glare, he ushered me to the front with him and sat me in his seat. He went back to untie the boat after starting up the motor, and then nestled me in between his legs as he took his seat. I rested my head back against his shoulder as he pulled away from the dock, and his arm wrapped around me, his thumb caressing my side.

"You know you're not a flavor of the week or anything like that to me, right?" he murmured in my ear as we cut across the increasingly choppy water. Clouds were starting to roll in far off in the distance and it looked like we were in for one hell of a storm. I nodded against his shoulder and placed my hand over his on my side.

"I've never been that guy, and I never will be…" he started to ramble and I shook my head. He looked down at me and I cupped his cheek gently.

"It's okay. I trust you," I said as I kissed his jaw.

"I trust you too," he replied as he kissed my temple. His arm tightened around me as we neared the northern shore. Emmett was standing on the dock, waving us in. As soon as Edward pulled the boat up to the dock, Emmett quickly tied the lines.

"Edward, we need to unload quickly and lift the boat out of the water down at the marina. There's a massive storm heading in," he said as he jumped into the boat. He grabbed a hold of Rose and kissed her quickly before whispering something to her.

"Did you get the shutters down on the house yet?" Edward asked as he threw a bunch of vests and gear onto the dock.

"Not yet, bro. I've been helping Jasper with the villas here," he said and Edward nodded.

"Finish getting everything here squared away. I'll take care of the boats and the house. I'll call if I need you for anything," Edward replied as we heard the first clap of thunder off in the distance. He grabbed a hold of me and pulled me to his chest.

"Just stay inside okay? Em and Jasper will probably be with all of you. I'll call as soon as I can," he said and I shook my head.

"Edward, just come with us. The storm is too close," I plead as he placed his lips against my forehead.

"Love, I can't. I have to get the shutters down over those windows. Half of that house is made of glass," he said and I nodded begrudgingly.

"Okay, but please be safe," I said worriedly.

"I will. I promise. If I can make it back before the storm hits, I will okay?" he replied as he caressed my cheek as I nodded.

Edward gave me one last kiss before Emmett helped me out of the boat. Jess had long since taken off, but Derek and Mel stuck around to help us carry some of the gear to the activities shack. As soon as everything was inside, Emmett told us to head back to the villa while he made sure Derek and Mel were squared away.

We did as he insisted and quickly fled to our villa. Our windows were already covered and our patio furniture had been secured. Alice suggested we all take quick showers before the storm hits, and we quickly took off to our separate rooms.

An hour later, Emmett and Jasper returned, and I eagerly looked to them both to see if either of them had heard from Edward, but they hadn't. The rain had already started, along with the violent lightning and thunder by the time they had arrived. I was terrified that Edward was outside still and possibly still by the water.

Emmett set out candles on the coffee table, and one in each bedroom as well as flashlights just in case. An hour later, Rose and Emmett were curled up on a pile of blankets on the living room floor, Jasper and Alice were on the couch, and because I was worried and restless, I got up to get something to drink from the kitchen just for something to do.

As I opened the refrigerator door, a huge clap of thunder shook the house and everything went black. There I stood, refrigerator door handle in hand, no candle, no flashlight, and no word from Edward.

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**AN: Reviews are better than tropical storm blackouts! Review away my lovelies! Pretty pretty please? Much love to you all! ~Jersey~**


	9. Weathering the Storm

**AN: So yeah...just to prove my point about my addiction to this story...I've NEVER updated on a weekend...EVER. I'm currently hiding at work just so I can edit and post this chapter because I'm hopelessly addicted. Someone seriously needs to committ my arse!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Twilight characters. SM owns them all

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Weathering the Storm

BPOV

"Little one, he's fine. Stop worrying," Emmett said, trying to soothe me.

"What if he's not? What if he got struck by lightning, or fell down, or got stranded out in the open somewhere?" I rambled as I paced the living room floor.

"Bella, he's fine. This isn't the first storm he's been through. He knows what he's doing," Jasper said exasperatedly.

"But it's been five hours! Someone should have gone with him! If he's hurt, there's no way for anyone to know about it!" I wailed as I crossed the room once more.

Emmett and Jasper looked at each other and sighed just as I heard what sounded like the latch on the front door give way. I spun around as the door opened and a sopping wet Edward stepped through the dark doorway.

"Edward!" I cried out as I ran across the room and jumped into his arms. I wrapped my legs around his waist and buried my face into his neck as I sobbed and held him tight.

"Bella," he sighed as he rubbed my back. "I'm fine, love. Don't cry." I sobbed again and tightened my hold on him as he moved to shut the door behind us.

"She's been a wreck, bro. Why didn't you call?" Emmett asked, sounding slightly angry.

"I would have called, Em, but I dropped my cell in the damn water when I hopped out of the boat, and I couldn't use the land line because the power went out before I got into the house," Edward responded as he ran his fingers through my hair.

"Baby, I'm perfectly fine. Please stop crying," he murmured as he continued to caress me soothingly.

"You could have been killed," I croaked through my tears and he sighed as he held me tighter.

"Bella, please calm down," he pleaded and I tried unsuccessfully to stifle the sobs erupting from me.

Edward picked up a flashlight and asked the others which room was mine before walking us down the hall. He closed the door behind us, shushing me the whole way as he held me tightly. I don't know if it was just all of the anxiety of not hearing from him for those hours while the storm raged on that was upsetting me so much, or if it was the fact that he stupidly crossed the entire island during the thick of the storm. Every time I closed my eyes I thought of something else that could have happened to him on his way over…and none of them were helping my current state.

"What has you so upset?" he murmured and I sniffled.

"You could have… been hurt coming here. Why didn't you stay at the house?" I said, hiccupping and sniffling the whole time.

"Because I knew you would be worried, and I wanted to be here with you," he said as he smoothed my hair away from the side of my face.

"But what if something would have happened to you? How would we have known?" I whimpered as I pressed my forehead to his neck. His cool damp skin felt amazing on my overheated flesh.

"Nothing did happen though. The worst that happened was me dropping my phone in the water. I'm perfectly fine. It isn't even that bad out there. We've had much worse storms here before," he said softly as I finally began calming down.

"I have to change. I'm soaked and you are now too," he murmured into my hair as he swayed slightly from side to side.

"I don't care," I mumbled, holding onto him tightly. "I'm not ready to let you go yet."

He tightened his arms around me and kissed a line from my shoulder to the side of my neck. "You don't ever have to," he mumbled as he kissed back down to my shoulder. His lips and warm breath sent a delighted shiver down my spine.

I was perfectly content being wrapped around him and held in his strong arms, until someone ruined it by knocking on the door. Edward turned and opened it, revealing Emmett leaning against the door jam with his flashlight in hand.

"You okay little one?" he asked with genuine concern and I nodded, smiling faintly. He nodded and looked to Edward.

"The winds are starting to pick up pretty viciously out there. We should probably move the beds away from the glass doors just in case," he said and Edward nodded as Rosalie stepped up beside him.

"Bells, we're heading to bed," she said with a concerned expression as she passed me two water bottles. "Do you need anything before we go?"

I smiled gratefully and shook my head. "No…We're fine. Thanks."

"Okay, try to get some sleep," she said and I nodded to her.

"G'nite guys," Emmett said as Rose pulled him away from the door. Edward and I responded in kind before I pushed the door shut.

He held me tightly as I finally released the death grip my legs had on his waist and my feet slid down to the floor. I walked over and put the water bottles on the nightstand as Edward started to move the bed to the corner of the room.

"Why don't you get changed while I move the bed," he said and I nodded, turning to grab a simple tank top and sleep shorts from the dresser.

I sighed contentedly into the back of his damp shirt as I wrapped my arms around him after changing. I didn't care if he was still damp…I just wanted to be close to him. He finished lighting the candle on the dresser and turned in my arms, wrapping his arms around me. He ducked his head down to rest on the top of mine as we swayed slightly, trying to ignore the sounds of the rain pouring down, and the thunder crashing and shaking the villa.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" he whispered, sounding as though he was talking to himself. I snorted and chuckled to myself.

"Are you sure you shouldn't be asking what cosmic force you pissed off to get stuck with me?" I asked only half joking. He gently cupped my face and tilted my head up to meet his gaze.

"Bella, besides my family, I've never had someone that cared about me enough to work themselves into a frenzied state over worrying about me. I've never had anyone treat me affectionately simply because they wanted to, and I've never, ever, had someone cling to me as you did tonight because they were afraid of losing me. If pissing the cosmos off gives me you, I'll gladly continue doing so," he said and I melted in his arms as tears pooled in my eyes.

"I love you, Bella. I love the way you catch me off guard with things that you say. I love the way you make me feel when you're close to me, and how I lose myself when I look into your eyes. I love the way you mumble in your sleep and hold me tighter after you say my name. I love everything about you," he said, gently wiping away the tears that had spilled from my eyes.

"I love you…more than anything," I sniffled as I wrapped my arms around his neck. He lowered his head down, rubbing his nose against my own as he smiled.

"I know…you said it in your sleep last night," he whispered, his breath washing over my lips, making them tingle in anticipation. I blushed, slightly embarrassed at him having heard me talking in my sleep, and slightly more that I had professed my love for him unconsciously.

His lips finally touched mine, soft and gentle as his thumbs caressed my cheeks. My fingers thread into his still wet hair as I tilted my head to the side. Our tongues touched, and I whimpered as he sighed. My hands traveled down his chest, slipping under his damp shirt. His skin was cool to the touch and his muscles twitched as my fingers ghosted over them. He broke our kiss only long enough to pull the shirt over his head and drop it on the floor next to him.

Edward lifted me effortlessly as his lips crashed upon mine once more. My legs wrapped around his waist tightly as he slowly walked toward the bed. He gently laid me down, allowing only a minimal amount of his weight to press against me as he hovered over me. My hands came to his face, my fingertips lightly tracing his features, committing their perfection to memory.

His lips broke away from mine and descended slowly down my neck, his tongue swirling across my flesh setting my entire body ablaze with desire. I whimpered and writhed under his touch, feeling things I had never before experienced. He groaned against my skin and pushed his hips against me. I gasped as my back arched toward him, my legs instinctively pulling him closer to me, desperate to feel that delicious friction once again. His hips rocked into me again and I moaned as he kissed my collar bone.

"Edward," I whimpered as my hands explored his back and sides tenderly.

"Yes, my love?" he asked huskily as the tip of his nose traced the curve of my ear. He placed a kiss in the hollow just below it before his hips rocked into me once again, eliciting another moan from me as he groaned.

"I need you," I breathed as I placed moist kisses against his skin everywhere I could reach.

"You have me," he replied as he kissed his way across my neck, lavishing the other side with his torturously pleasurable affections.

"Make love to me," I pleaded and he stilled above me.

"I can't…we can't," he muttered as he pulled his head back and looked at me apologetically. Tears welled in my eyes, fearing his reasons. Had I done something he didn't like? Did he realize how much better he could do than me? Was he just not attracted to me enough to do more than just kiss me?

"Do you just not want me that way? Because Jesus, Edward…if you don't …" I spluttered and sobbed silently as my hands came to cover my face. I didn't want him to see these tears pouring out of my eyes. I didn't want him to see how badly being rejected hurt.

"Oh God, Bella…Love, look at me. Please don't cry," he pleaded frantically as he tried to pull my hands away from my face. I pressed them against my skin even harder as I shook my head and fought back the sobs that wanted to erupt from me.

"I didn't mean it like that. I do want you that way…every way. I've never wanted anything as badly as I want you. We just can't because I don't have any condoms or anything. I haven't exactly had a need to make sure I had one on me at all times in the past few years. Even if I did have one…I'm fairly sure it would be expired by this point," he rambled and I slowly peeled my hands away from my face to look at him. His eyes were closed as he shook his head, sighing as he dropped his forehead to my chest. Relief from his words coursed through me instantly, extinguishing any hint of rejected pain that I had felt.

"I'm sorry… I don't know what else to say," he mumbled dejectedly.

"Thank you Alice and Rosalie," I sniffled quietly and his confused gaze shot up to me.

"What?"

"I said thank you Alice and Rosalie…that's what you should say," I chuckled lightly as I ran my hand through his hair. His confusion only deepened as I wiped the moisture away from my eyes.

"Why would I thank Alice and Rosalie?" he asked, looking truly baffled. I cupped his face in my hands and guided his lips to my own.

"Because they kept dragging me out of my apartment every three months for my Depo shot," I said as I grinned widely and placed kisses along his jaw line.

"But...I thought…when did…were you…" he stuttered confusedly. "Why would you have needed it?"

"I had some menstrual issues, and I proved to be an incompetent pill taker," I chuckled.

"So we don't need the decade old, expired piece of latex?" he asked as he started to grin. I shook my head.

"And you really want me to make love to you?" he asked as he trailed a line up my neck and across my jaw with the tip of his nose. I whimpered as his lips pressed against my neck.

"Mmmhmm," I moaned as he pressed his hips against me again.

"Thank you Alice and Rose," he whispered and pressed his lips against mine. I sighed happily as I pulled him against me. Our kissing remained passionate yet gentle as our hands explored each other.

Edward rolled us, and pulled on the hem of my tank top as I straddled his hips. He lifted the top off, and I instantly tried to use my arms to shield my nudity.

"Don't," he said as he gently grasped my wrists and pulled them down to my sides. "You're beautiful... absolutely perfect," he said as he ran his hand down my neck and and between my breasts.

My head tilted back as his hands trailed back up my torso, his fingers grazing the flesh between my breasts lightly. My back arched as his palms covered my slight mounds, pushing them against him. I felt my nipples harden under his gentle touch and I whimpered as I rocked my hips against his.

"So beautiful," he murmured as he sat up, leaning me backwards slightly. He trailed kisses across my collarbone slowly, each one bringing him further down towards my chest. His strong hands caressed my back.

My back arched again as his mouth came down upon my breast, his tongue swirling around the hardened peak. I rocked my hips against him again, searching for the friction I so desperately needed.

"Edward, _please_," I whimpered as he started his torturous pleasure on my other breast.

He groaned and laid back, rolling us so that he was hovering above me once more. My legs wrapped around him and I used my heels to try and push his shorts down over his hips. He pulled back as his fingers slid under the band of my shorts and I lifted slightly as he tugged them down. They slid off my legs easily, and he drank in the sight before him. I had never felt beautiful before, but with the way he was looking at me, I felt as though I was the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Perfect...every inch of you is perfect," he whispered as he lowered himself down on top of me. In that moment, not even the raging storm outside could take my attention away from him.

As we kissed, I reached down between us and unbuttoned his shorts. I carefully lowered the zipper and inched them down over his hips as best I could from my position. His mouth broke away from mine and eagerly trailed down my chest and stomach. His hands trailed down the outside of my thighs, gently pushing them apart as they slowly trailed back up the inside. He kissed the inner area of each thigh as one arm wrapped under my leg, his other hand inching its way toward my core. He slid one finger down my slit, as his other hand came around to spread me open to him. I writhed under him, unable to control the wanton need coursing through me.

"You're so wet," he groaned and then dragged his tongue between my lips, twirling it around my nub. I whimpered as his tongue disappeared and gasped as I felt his finger start to enter me. He brought his mouth back down to the sensitive bundle of nerves, swirling, licking, and nipping away at the mound as his finger slowly moved in and out of me. It was divine, it was amazing, it was... pure torture.

I felt the muscles in my stomach coil and clench as he drove me closer to the edge that I had only ever experienced a few times in my life. Even though I had only ever had sex once, I wasn't a stranger to other sexual activities... I just hadn't ever been fulfilled by any of them before, and Edward was doing more than just fulfilling my current desperate need.

I moaned and whimpered, gasped and bit my lip as he continued his sinfully amazing ministrations. He slid a second finger into me, stretching me as he pushed all the way forward, still concentrating his tongue on my nub. The tips of his fingers curled inside of me, hitting a spot that launched me over the edge as I spasmed around his fingers. He continued to massage that spot as I rode out my orgasm, his name a constant mantra from my lips. He moaned as he licked away at my swollen and oversensitive mound, the vibrations sending me rapidly over the edge once more.

Edward withdrew his fingers and lapped up all of my released juices before climbing his way back on top of me. His lips crashed down upon mine as I fought to catch my breath, hungry, needy, and full of desire.

"Are you sure you sure you want to do this? We can stop now," he said as he pulled back and rested his head in the crook of my neck, placing random kisses between his words. The fact that he was still willing to stop if I wanted to, only made me want him more.

"I'm sure, Edward. I need you," I replied breathlessly as I felt the tip of his erection against my entrance.

"I love you, Bella. With all my heart, I love you," he said as he gazed into my eyes.

"I love you too," I whimpered as he gently started to slide into me.

"You're so tight," he groaned as he rocked back and forth slightly, easing his way in. His massive size was stretching me to the brim, and I began contemplating if he'd even fit in all the way. He must have noticed my slight discomfort as he started apologizing and peppering my face with sweet kisses. He laced our fingers together and brought our hands up beside my head.

"Squeeze as hard as you need to," he said and I nodded. "Wrap your legs around me."

I did, and with one more "I love you, I'm sorry," he thrust his way in, burying himself deep within me. I gasped and clenched around him, gripping his hands violently as he kissed every spot of my skin he could reach and muttered his apologies over and over again.

"I'm okay... Edward, I'm okay," I assured him as I released my death grip on him. It hadn't been as painful as losing my virginity, but it was a pretty close call.

_So much for it hurting only the first time_... I thought sarcastically.

"You weren't... were you?" he asked worriedly and I chuckled.

"No, it's just been a while since my first experience," I responded truthfully. It had been three years, and that experience wasn't even worth remembering.

"It's been a while for me too," he whispered against my lips. I sighed and tilted my head as he licked across my bottom lip. As our tongues collided, he started to rock his hips gently, moving slowly within me. The pleasurable sensation was beyond anything I had ever felt before.

Edward brought our entwined hands above my head and gazed into my eyes as he moved at a slow and steady pace. I drove my heels into his backside, trying to push him as far into me as I could get him. I wanted to feel every inch of him that I could in that moment. If we were one person, I still don't think it would be close enough.

Edward rolled us and sat up as I wrapped my legs behind him. His hands guided my hips in our slow sensual dance. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him with every ounce of love and desire that I felt. As we broke apart, he leaned me back and kissed every inch of my chest that he could reach.

Our moans reverberated throughout the room, but I couldn't find it in me to care if anyone heard the throaty calls of our names as we moved together in the soft flickering candlelight.

"Edward," I moaned as my head tilted back and my muscles began to coil once again. He started rocking his hips, meeting his thrusts with each lowering movement of my rocks against him.

"Come with me, love," he groaned and rocked his hips harder against me. I felt my walls begin to clench and spasm around him, my orgasm hitting me like a ton of bricks just as I felt his cock twitch and spill inside me. We rode out our orgasm together, panting and crying out each other's names as we clung to one another with every ounce of strength we could muster.

He pulled the hair away from my neck and placed a few kisses there before resting his head between my neck and shoulder. The winds were still howling, the rain was still coming down in buckets, and the thunder and lightning that could be seen through the shaking shutters was still booming and flashing at regular intervals as we sat in each other's arms, still connected in the most intimate of ways, silently caressing one another. It was the perfect moment, feeling as if we were one person, one body, one soul. Of course I had to go and ruin it.

"Edward, tell me that this can work. Please, I can't bear the thought of only being able to feel this way for a few weeks," I whispered against his neck. He pulled his head back and held my face in his hands, his thumbs lightly caressing my cheeks as he looked straight into my eyes.

"We'll make it work, Bella. I'll do whatever I have to for this to work. I can't bear the thought of being without you, especially not after tonight. I love you," he said firmly and pulled my face toward his lips.

I felt him begin to harden inside me as we kissed and I rocked my hips against him. He moaned and gripped my hips, guiding my movements. Something inside of me was burning for him, wanting to feel his strength, to feel how badly he wanted me, just as I wanted him.

"Harder," I moaned and he grunted as he quickly rolled us over and drove himself into me. My back arched off the bed as he continued to thrust into me as far as he could go, but it still wasn't quenching the fire burning in me. I bit into his shoulder, wanting to mark him as my own. He plunged into me roughly as he groaned, the force of it ripping his skin from my teeth.

"Baby, if you keep doing that, I'm not going to last," he panted as he pulled one of my legs onto his shoulder.

"_Ungh_...right there," I moaned as he leaned back and drove into me again. His hands held my hips off the bed, pulling me toward him as he thrust forward.

"Goddamn you feel good. Tight...wet..." he panted as I came closer and closer to the edge. His husky voice mixed with his thrusts was a devastating combination.

"That's it my love. I want to feel you come," he said as he slammed into me harder. He threw my other leg up over his shoulder as I started to tighten around him.

"Edward," I panted as my orgasm rocketed through my body. He drove all the way in and leaned forward, pressing himself as far in as he could go and only rocking his hips slightly. The sensation of the head of his cock massaging that spot inside me forced me to orgasm yet again, crying out his name repeatedly as I gripped the sheet beside me.

When my orgasm subsided, he kissed the insides of my knees before releasing my legs and rolling us so that I was straddling him. I tilted my head back as I rocked back and forth slightly on top of him, still coming back down from my release. His hands came up to my breasts as he matched his movements to mine.

"My beautiful Bella," he said as one of his hands trailed from my breast to between my thighs. His thumb pressed against my sensitive nub and began rubbing in a circular pattern. I moaned as I leaned back and braced myself against his thighs with my arms. I continued sliding up and down his shaft, grinding against him each time I lowered myself.

Between his ministrations on my bundle of nerves, and his massive erection filling me completely, I was close to exploding again. An errant thought of death by orgasm passed quickly through my mind. Truthfully, at 24, I had only experienced a handful of them brought about through my own personal exploration, and none of them were anywhere near this extreme.

"You're close again. I can feel it," he grunted. I whimpered and nodded as I rocked against his hand. I was drained of energy. Just sitting up was becoming increasingly difficult, much less keeping a steady rhythm.

"Edward, I can't...keep going," I panted, starting to slump forward. "Come with me. Please."

He rolled us so that I was on my back once again. I wrapped my legs around him as he started driving into me. The coil in the pit of my stomach was so tight that it was nearly painful.

"God you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he groaned as the coil started to come undone. It ripped through me like a tidal wave and I screamed out to him as my back arched off the bed. It was so powerful I couldn't even feel him as he reached his own climax, the only thing alerting me to the fact that he had tumbled off that ledge with me was the stilling of his movements as he was plunged deep within me mixed with his moaning of my name.

My legs flopped to the bed as he collapsed on top of me, both of us covered in sweat and breathing as though we had just run a marathon. Well it kind of was a marathon...just not an athletic one. Unless sex can be considered a sport, that is. Hell if there's a category for inducing orgasms, Edward needs a first place medal...and a trophy the size of the Empire State Building.

"I'm sorry... I'm squishing you... I can't move," he panted and I chuckled as I tried to catch my breath and determine whether or not my body was in fact made of Jell-O at the moment.

"You're...perfectly fine...right...where you are," I replied breathlessly. He nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck, placed a lingering kiss there, and relaxed against me. One would think his weight would crush me, but it was completely and utterly comfortable as we laid that way, still connected to each other, mindlessly caressing one another.

"I love you," he murmured as his hand came up to caress my face. I kissed his thumb as it grazed my lips and smiled.

"I love you too," I replied with every ounce of the emotion that I felt for him. He sighed and kissed the hollow behind my ear, eventually rolling off of me. I whimpered at the sudden loss of our connection.

He pulled me to him, curling me against his chest as his arm wrapped around the front of me. I yawned as my eyelids began to droop and snuggled myself back even further against him. He kissed my bare shoulder as our fingers laced together in front of my chest.

"Are you comfortable?" he asked as he nuzzled his face into my hair.

"Very," I chuckled as he inhaled deeply and sighed.

"What are you doing?" I laughed as goose flesh formed on my skin.

"You smell good," he sighed. "You always smell good."

"Mmm...so do you," I mumbled as I closed my eyes.

I felt so safe in his arms. His left arm was snaked under my neck, and crossing my chest, holding me against him protectively. His right was slung over my side, holding my hand affectionately. It was everything I've never had and never knew I needed at the same time…security and affection. All my life it's always been one or the other. With Charlie it was always security, Renee was always affection, and Jacob... well with Jacob it was always whichever he felt like at the time...and always for the wrong reasons.

He could put me on a motorcycle with no instruction... and no protective gear... but God forbid someone did something as horrendous as look at me, he'd become my knight in rusted armor. Idiot. The only time he was ever really affectionate toward me was when he was feeling frisky, and that realization angered me to no end.

How did he ever expect me to be close enough to him to share what Edward and I had tonight, when from the beginning he treated me like a possession and not a person? The moment he won the war and I surrendered to his desires of dating, I had ceased to exist as a person with feelings and expectations, wants and needs, and simply became his goddamn trophy.

My eyes stung behind my lids as I fought back the tears that my mental realizations were causing to surge in me. I wanted to cling to Edward and never lose the sense of completeness that I felt with him. I wanted to spend every day hearing his musical laugh, melting at his beautiful smile, feeling his soft lips against mine every moment I could, and explore every inch of his perfect body.

In that instant, I realized that it didn't matter what anyone had ever done to me. Not Jacob, not my parents, not any of the people that had made my high school years a living hell. I had everything I could ever want or need right here in the bed with me, wrapped around me as if I was the most precious thing in the world to him.

"Thank you," I sighed as I bent my head to kiss his arm.

"Mmm. For what?" he murmured sleepily.

"Everything. For loving me. For how safe you make me feel. For how you make me feel like the most beautiful and precious thing in the world," I said as I caressed his arm with my nose.

"I'm glad I make you feel that way, because to me you are the most beautiful and precious thing in the world," he replied, spreading soft kisses across my shoulders and upper back. I shuddered in delight and rolled over to face him. I caressed his face gently with my hands as he kissed my wrists and gazed into my eyes.

"I love you, Edward," I whispered and pressed my lips against his. He sighed, deepening the kiss and shifting to hover over me once again. Slowly and sweetly, we made love to each other as the sounds of the violent storm faded away. The only sounds we could hear were our whispered sweet nothings to each other and the melodious moans as we slowly climbed the highest of peaks and tumbled off it together in perfect harmony.

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**AN: Damn...okay I have just one thing to say. My retarded rear end got caught hiding in our OR darkroom while trying to post this. Leave my ass some love cause the rest of my weekend is gonna be complete hell! ::runs after stupid co-worker who stole my flashdrive:: Yeah...my co-workers now know I write ::cough:: smut ::cough:: That's just soooo not cool. ::blushing tomato red:: C yas Monday...if I don't die of embarrassment first. ~Jersey~**


	10. Clearing of Debris and Insecurities

**AN: Sorry this took so long guys. I know I said I'd see you all Monday, but good old RL got in the way. My apologies.**

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight characters. SM owns them all.

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Clearing of Debris and Insecurities

BPOV

"Bella..sweetie wake up," Edward said softly and I felt his fingers run through my hair.

"Mmmhmm," I mumbled as I tossed my leg over his waist. He chuckled and kissed the top of my head.

"Love, you should really get up before Emmett storms in here," he said and my eyes shot open.

"Why would he come in here?" I asked confusedly.

"Because he's been threatening to for the last hour if we don't get up," he chuckled and I pouted.

"There should be locks on the doors," I grumbled just as he started banging on the door again.

"Let's go love birds! Five minutes and I'm coming in there!" he bellowed and I scowled at the door as Edward chuckled.

"You wouldn't dare!" I hollered back, seriously lacking judgment skills so soon after waking. The door swung open suddenly and I watched as Emmett's grin fell rapidly and his eyes widened significantly.

"Emmett! What the hell!" Edward roared and I was confused for all of a second and a half until he rapidly pulled the sheet up.

"I'm sorry," he muttered quickly as he spun around. "I thought you two were up and just messing with me."

My face was probably purple as I slid all the way under the sheet, hiding even my face from view. It wouldn't have been that bad had the power not come back on and the lamp been lit next to the bed when he flung the door open. I'm quite sure he got more than just an eyeful, mostly of me. Damn the power for failing and turning the room into a freaking sauna during the night.

"Em, get out and shut the damn door already," Edward growled.

"Uh, yeah. We're gonna leave and check out the damage. Take your time. We'll see you both later...well not see you.. Ugh, sorry," he rambled then I heard the door click as it shut, followed by rapidly retreating footsteps down the hall.

"You can come out now," Edward chuckled as he pulled the sheet back from over my head.

"Do you think it's possible to live in this room for the rest of our lives?" I questioned, not far from being entirely serious. He laughed and pulled the sheet over both of our heads as he turned toward me.

"I'm sure we could last a few days, but what would we eat when we become insane with hunger?" he asked and I feigned a thoughtful expression.

"Room service!" I laughed after a moment and he chuckled.

"Since you have it all figured out, I guess there's no need for us to get dressed," he said as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"We can start our own bedroom nudist colony. We'll have to post a warning sign on the door though," I joked and then grimaced as he laughed.

"What will it say? Beware of sex crazed nudists?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with mirth.

"No," I chuckled as I shook my head. "It'll say Do not feed the naked nymphos." He laughed as he tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.

"Ugh...I'm never going to be able to face him again," I grumbled as I buried my face in his chest.

"I'm pretty sure he's more embarrassed than either of us right now. I'm not even sure of just how much he saw as I already had the sheet half up when he swung the door open," he said, trying to comfort me. I groaned and shook my head.

"Oh God!" I cried out suddenly. "He's gonna tell Rosalie and Alice!"

"I don't think he will, but even if he did, is it that big of a deal?" he asked, looking somewhat hurt.

"It's not them knowing about us that's bad, Edward," I said as I shook my head. "It's the interrogation for details after they find out that rivals Chinese water torture in my book." He laughed and I kept rambling, loving the way it sounded.

"They might as well duct tape me to a chair and pull my fingernails off with rusty pliers, then cover me in honey and stick me in a room swarmed with fire ants!"

"Bella," he laughed as he shook his head. "I'm sure it can't be that bad."

"Ohhh...never doubt the torture twins! They're the spawn of Satan himself when it comes to prying for information," I warned, entirely serious.

"Just ask them to respect your privacy," he said as if the problem could be solved that easily.

"Sure, Edward. I'll do that, and while I'm at it, you go ask a two year old to explain quantum physics and we'll compare success rates afterwards," I scoffed.

"You're so absurd," he chuckled and I snorted.

"You think I'm joking."

"There's no way it can be that bad," he said incredulously.

"Edward, before last night...and this morning... I had sex once. It lasted all of maybe five minutes. The interrogation on the other hand, lasted an entire weekend!" I exclaimed and he eyed me in disbelief.

"Two whole days, Edward. Two whole days, for what was a five minute blip on the radar screen of my life. Two days of interrogation for something I really had nothing to comment on. If I had nothing to say then, and it took them two days to let it go, you better make the best of our time together before they get to me. I have a feeling I'll be old and gray before they return me after this last twenty four hour period," I said as I blushed and heat began to spread between my legs.

_Good God. One night with him and I go from sexually repressed to completely insatiable!_

"Mmm," he hummed as he descended his lips upon my skin. "When you put it that way, I do believe I will make the best of my remaining time." I moaned as he nipped at my collarbone and rolled on top of him.

Some time later, I'm not quite sure how long it had been since the clock was still blinking, we collapsed next to each other completely and utterly spent. I was seriously contemplating that death by orgasm theory as I struggled to control my breathing. Again, my entire body felt as though it were made of gelatin. I'm fairly certain that if I tried to get out of the bed, I would turn into a puddle of goo on the floor.

"I swear... you'll be... the death of me," he panted and I chuckled as my breaths came in quick and shallow.

"If anyone's going...to be convicted of murder...it'll be you," I laughed breathlessly. "You'll be the first person...to ever be charged...with using orgasms...as a lethal weapon."

"I can't help it. Watching and feeling you cum is better than any fantasy I've ever had," he replied as he turned his head in my direction. His eyes sparkled and smoldered as we gazed at each other, both of us finally getting our erratic breathing under control.

"Hey, I'm not complaining," I chuckled. "Just giving you time to put your alibi together."

"No complaints, huh?" he asked and I laughed as I shook my head.

_So much for heeding that alibi warning..._

"Not even one?" he whispered against my lips. I shook my head as I gazed into his eyes.

"Not one," I whispered back, my lips trembling in anticipation.

"Mmm," he hummed as our lips finally met. He pulled back way too soon after only placing a series of chaste kisses against my lips.

"As much as I'd love to stay here all day, testing your death by orgasm theory, I really should join the others and give them a hand," he said softly as he pulled away. I pouted at him, severely saddened by the thought of him covering his gloriously naked body with clothing.

"Are you going to come with me?" he asked with a hopeful expression. I laughed and kissed his chin.

"As if I'd send you out into the open with all those crazed women lusting after you alone," I chuckled and he laughed as he rolled his eyes. "Besides...if they get too close they'll see my brand on you."

His eyebrows pulled together and I chuckled as I pointed to his shoulder where I had bitten him the night before...or was it this morning?

"Nice," he chuckled. "I don't think I've ever been branded before."

"You know what they say though... There's a first for everything," I laughed and he pursed his lips at me.

"How come I don't get to brand you?" he asked as he quirked an eyebrow at me.

"I never said you couldn't...but if you start now I guarantee you we won't be making it out of here before dark," I warned as I pointed a finger at him. He smirked and I rolled my eyes as I pushed on his chest.

"Out of the bed you sex crazed nudist!" I yelled playfully.

"You first you anorexic nympho!" he laughed back and I scoffed.

"Anorexic?"

"Hell, I don't know about you, but if we did lock ourselves in here and put your sign on the door, I hope someone doesn't heed the warning about not feeding the nyphos!" he chortled and I laughed.

"Alright, alright. Point taken...so we don't go with the do not feed sign," I chuckled as he nodded.

After a few more kisses, we both slid out of the bed and I eventually headed off to take my shower in Alice's bathroom. He suggested showering together to "save water", but I insisted that it wasn't safe with us being sex crazed anorexic nudist nymphos and what not. He pouted but I forced myself to walk away from him after tying a robe around myself...just in case someone else still happened to be in the villa. One bout with accidental voyeurism was enough for me for one day...hell for one life.

I quickly showered, shaved, and dressed after drying off. I brushed my hair and pulled it into a messy bun before heading back to my room to brush my teeth. Edward was already showered and dressed, wearing different clothes than he had shown up in the night before. I looked at him curiously and he chuckled as he pointed to a bag that was sitting on top of the bed.

"I brought a bag with me last night, I guess you didn't notice it with everything else that happened," he said and I nodded.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yeah, I just have to brush my teeth and put shoes on," I said as I wandered off into the bathroom. He leaned against the doorway, watching as I brushed my teeth. I felt overly self conscious about having toothpaste foam dripping down my chin.

_Yeah...because he's seen every inch of your naked body but somehow being a sloppy hygienist will turn him off_... I scoffed mentally as I inwardly rolled my eyes at myself.

"What?" I asked as the toothbrush stilled in my mouth. He chuckled lightly and shook his head.

"Nothing...nothing at all," he replied, still smiling.

"No, really...what?" I asked again, fighting the blush that wanted to color me red straight to the roots of my hair.

"It's nothing... I'm just having a hard time believing that you're real," he said and I snorted. Yeah...not a good thing to do when you have a mouth full of foaming toothpaste. I choked slightly and started coughing as I spit the contents of my mouth out in the sink and filled a plastic cup with water.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly as he strode toward me.

"I'm fine," I croaked as my eyes watered. "Inhaled toothpaste."

"I really am going to have my hands full keeping you safe, aren't I?" he asked and I nodded as I cleared my throat.

"You have no idea," I replied hoarsely. "You might want to rethink what you're signing up for."

He cupped my face gently in his hands and looked deep into my eyes. "Never," he said simply as he lowered his lips to mine. I chuckled as he pulled back and wiped a smudge of toothpaste from his lips.

I finished brushing my teeth and rinsed my mouth out as he continued watching from the doorway. I have no idea what his fascination was with watching me do something as mundane as brushing my teeth, but if it brought him enjoyment who the hell was I to knock it? I will, however, draw the line at watching me use the facilities. That crap is best saved for people who have been married for years, have had kids together, and can no longer be repulsed by anything that comes out of another human being's body. Even then...there are just some things that people need to do in solitary confinement.

"Okay, I'm ready," I said as I smiled freakishly, showing off my pearly whites.

"Beautiful," he chuckled as he shook his head at me.

He took my hand and laced our fingers together as he led me out of the villa. I gasped as we stepped onto the porch and I looked around at the mess that the storm had caused. Palm branches and coconuts were strewn across the ground haphazardly, mixed with a small amount of trash. A large number of employees were walking around with large garbage bags, filling them with everything they came across in their areas.

"Jesus...I didn't realize the wind was that bad," I muttered as I continued surveying the area around us.

"This is nothing...a few years ago we had a hurricane blow through here, and there were bits and pieces of a few of the villas mixed in with everything else. It took down our entire activities shack and our equipment was blown everywhere," he said as he shook his head.

"How often does this happen?" I asked as I looked back at him.

"A few storms like last night every year. That hurricane I told you about was the only one we've been through since the resort was built though," he said as he shrugged nonchalantly, as if he was talking about a light sprinkling of rain and the gust of wind from someone sneezing.

"What can I do to help?" I asked, avoiding letting my word vomit tendencies get the better of me at the moment. My internal rambling was sarcastic enough, no need to pollute the air between us by sharing that sarcasm out loud.

"You don't have to help, Bella. You're a guest here...it isn't right for you to be working," he said as he looked at me sadly.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "I want to help, Edward. Consider it my Good Samaritan act for the last decade of my life," I said jokingly and he laughed as he nodded.

"I'm going to grab some bags, and I guess we can just help with the cleanup effort around here for the time being. Anything outside of the resort can wait until we can get to it," he said and I nodded as I followed behind him.

We walked past the pool area and he opened a door on the side of the lobby building that led into a giant supply closet. He fished out some bags and two sticks with extremely pointy ends...not something I should really handle if no one within my vicinity is supposed to be hurt. I cleared my throat and looked at him in question. When he looked up, I pointed to the sticks and he laughed as he nodded and put one away.

"Right...no sharp objects," he chuckled and I bit the side of my cheek to keep from laughing.

"You sure you don't want to rethink your decision to be with me? Dating me is like having a child. I'll keep you on your toes every moment of the day as I come across sharp, hot, or dangerous objects, and even things as seemingly harmless as dust particles, which I trip over constantly," I said, doing a fairly good job at keeping the amusement out of my tone. He stopped what he was doing and threw his head back as he laughed.

"Never," he said as he grinned at me. "I'll just have to adjust like any new parent."

"Alright," I sang as I shrugged. "As long as you don't start asking me to call you Papi in the bedroom."

I couldn't hold it back anymore, I erupted into laughter at that statement as he stared at me with the funniest expression I had ever seen. It was a mix of shock, amusement, and a bit of disgust. It was the perfect recipe to bring me to tears with my laughter.

"Bella, if you ever called me that in the bedroom I'd probably go limp," he said as he shook his head. His comment only made me laugh harder at the thought. He was like Iron Man in the sack, I highly doubted one silly word would cause him to be Noodle Boy.

"Come on...it might be fun. I could call you Mi Papi Chulo and you could reply by saying Aye Mami," I cracked up, snorting as I laughed. He dropped his head and shook it, but his shaking shoulders gave his amusement away.

"Where do you come up with half of the things you say?" he asked as he grinned at me, his eyes sparkling beautifully. I scrunched up my face and shrugged...I really had no idea.

"Blame it on the word vomit," I said as I waved it off and tried to step around him as my sight landed on a pair of gloves. Those would definitely come in handy.

_Ha...handy...God I'm dumb..._

"It would take me an eternity to figure out how your brain works...but I love it. I love your word vomit too. Come to think of it...I don't think there's a damn thing I don't love about you," he said huskily as he caught me by the waist and pushed me up against a wall inside the room. His lips crashed down onto mine fervently and I moaned as his fingers tangled into my hair, his tongue licking across my lips practically begging for entrance, which of course I granted.

"You would think...after last night...and this morning...I'd be able to control myself...for a few hours," he said in between kisses and I chuckled against his lips.

"I thought I was the only one with that problem," I responded as I looked up at him through my lashes.

"We should get out of here before we get out of hand and someone walks in on us," he said as he reluctantly pulled away.

I stifled my chuckle as I saw him adjust himself, because hell, I was just as aroused at the moment and at least I could hide mine. I couldn't bring myself to laugh at him for not being able to hide his. It's kind of impossible to conceal something that massive behind a simple pair of khaki shorts when it was standing at full attention.

I grabbed the pair of gloves that I had been heading for when he had given in to his urges and followed him out of the supply closet. Kelly passed by just as we walked through the door and she smirked and winked at us. Edward's head fell forward as his shoulders started to shake and I bit the side of my cheek, trying to hold back my laughter. We may as well have been caught in the act seeing as how she thinks that's what we were doing in there anyhow.

"Think we're going to get a reputation around here?" I snickered and Edward pinched the bridge of his nose as he laughed. He tilted his head to look at me and laughed again.

"We seem to be on a roll toward achieving one," he chuckled and I nodded as I shrugged.

He handed me a bag and I put the gloves on, just in case there was anything sharp that needed to be picked up. Can't be too safe where my accident prone nature is concerned. Edward and I took a space of beach right in front of our villa, and started picking up the debris. He instructed me to toss the coconuts into a pile to save them because his Aunt Di makes bird toys out of the shells. I thought that was incredibly cute.

I'm not sure how long we had been working, but my legs were killing me from constantly crouching and standing again. We had already filled about five bags each of debris and trash, and I decided to take a break as Edward, Emmett, and Jasper started hauling the bags away. Rosalie and Alice headed into the villa to grab something for all of us to drink and I sank my rear into the sand.

"Toy of the week wasn't enough for him, huh? Had to turn you into hired help as well?" a familiar nasally voice called from behind me. I turned and narrowed my eyes at the curly brunette holding a tropical drink in her hand.

"Actually, he didn't ask me to help. I volunteered," I said dismissively. She rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink.

"That's what they get paid to do. You wouldn't catch me paying this amount of money to stay somewhere and then volunteering to do grunt work around the place," she retorted condescendingly.

"Yeah well, we wouldn't want you to break a nail or anything," I scoffed and turned back around.

"Face it, honey. You're paying to be his slave...in more ways than one. When you leave he'll be the one laughing with his friends while you're crying your eyes out over losing something you never had to start with," she sneered and I started to stand.

"What is your goddamn problem? I've never done anything to you. I've never said anything to you. What I do and with who is my business, not yours," I spat as I faced her. She took a few heated steps in my direction and glared at me as she came face to face with me.

"My problem is seeing someone like _him_ waste his limitless opportunities on someone like _you_. You don't fit with him. You don't belong with him...it's damn near blinding to have to witness it," she sneered, and because I'm a wimp like that sometimes, tears began to prick at my eyes.

"What's damn near blinding to have to witness is the way you flaunt your horrible excuse for a boob job in everyone's faces," I heard Rosalie's furious voice say and I turned my head to see her stomping down the steps of our villa and angrily making her way toward us.

"Listen up, pop tart. I've had about as much of your collagen injected lip that I can handle. He doesn't want you, he wants _her_. Get over it and move the hell on. It isn't her fault he rejected your silicone ass, so leave her the hell alone," Rose spat in her face.

I almost laughed at the way she paled and began to shake as Rose glared down at her. The poor bimbo was my height so Rose had a good five inches on her with her 5'9" statuesque frame.

"What's going on?" Emmett asked as he looked at them with furrowed eyebrows.

"This stupid bitch," Rose spat as she pointed at the bimbo, "can't get over the fact that your brother rejected her and she insists on taking it out on Bella."

"Whoa, whoa...Rosie baby, calm down. What's your name?" he asked as he looked down at the bimbo.

She smiled flirtatiously as she looked up at him and in that damn sickeningly sweet voice said, "Jess...it's short for Jessica."

"Don't even think about it wench...I'll smack that collagen right off your face," Rose threatened and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

"Rosie, honey. You have nothing to worry about. I'm all yours, baby," Emmett said as he pulled her behind him, probably fearing for bimbo's safety.

"Look, Jessica. As a guest here, I'm going to have to ask you to respect the other guests that are vacationing here as well, or I'll have to ask you to leave," he said calmly.

"You can't do that," she sneered as she narrowed her eyes at him. "I've already paid to be here."

"I can, and I assure you I will. It doesn't take much to refund the money for the time you haven't used here," he replied, keeping his demeanor calm and collected. "We won't tolerate having any of our guests harassed."

"How can they be considered as guests when apparently you're all involved with each other?" she asked with an incredulous look.

"They're guests because they're here on vacation, the same as you. The fact that we're all involved is just further reason that harassing them will not be tolerated. If I, or anyone else, witnesses you disrespecting them again, you will be asked to leave. Is that clear?" he asked, his calm composure slipping slightly.

"Crystal," bimbo sneered and stormed off.

"You okay, Bells?" Rose asked softly, all evidence of her anger erased from her tone.

"Yeah," I sighed as I nodded slightly and looked at the ground.

"You know what she said was bullshit right?" she asked as she put a hand on my shoulder. I bit the side of my cheek, unwilling to look her in the eye as I nodded to her.

"What exactly did she say?" Emmett asked as he stepped behind Rosalie.

"She said that Edward was wasting his opportunities on her and that they didn't fit or belong together...which is bullshit," Rose answered and my eyes pricked with tears once again at hearing bimbo's words repeated.

"Who said that?!" I heard Edward growl and my eyes shot up to see his angry expression and stiff posture.

"No one, don't worry about it," I said and shook my head just as Rosalie scoffed and said "Ms. Busty Botox from yesterday."

Edward's expression softened as he looked over at me. I tried to laugh it off, but it came out sounding like someone was strangling a cat so I walked off. "Can we just get back to work?"

"Bella, stop," Edward said as he gently grabbed a hold of my arm.

"Edward, it isn't a big deal. It's over with...let's just get back to work," I said as I looked at him, pleading with my eyes for him to just drop it.

"It is a big deal because for some absurd reason you believe it. I could see it in your eyes when you looked up at me. Why would you believe something like that?" he asked and I rolled my eyes.

"Because! Look at yourself, Edward! Even after working for hours you're the epitome of perfection and I look like a goddamn drowned rat with the sweat pouring off my ass! You're perfect and I'm plain. What other reason do you need for me to believe what she said?" I retorted.

He stared at me blankly for a minute before shaking his head. I crossed my arms across my chest and waited for him to say something, but he never did. Instead, he bent down and tossed me over his shoulder and stormed his way up the beach toward the villa.

"EDWARD! PUT ME DOWN!" I screeched as I tried to wiggle my way off his shoulder.

"No, we're settling this right now," he said as he stomped up the steps. I heard Alice, Rosalie and Emmett laughing as Edward shut the door behind us.

"Edward...put me down...please?" I asked as he started taking steps through the villa.

"In a second," he said as he made his way into my room. He shut the door behind us again and then practically flung me onto the bed. As soon as I sat up, he knelt down before me and started removing my socks and shoes.

"What are you doing?" I asked, wondering why he was taking off my socks and shoes to settle an argument. He smirked and kissed both of my ankles before putting them down.

"Do you have any idea what just thinking about you does to me?" he asked as he trailed wet kisses up my legs.

"Edward, stop. I'm all sweaty and disgusting," I complained as I pushed on his shoulders. He grabbed a hold of my hands and held them to the side of the mattress and continued kissing his way up each leg alternately.

"Don't care... you didn't answer my question," he said and then nipped at the skin just beside my knee.

"No...I don't," I replied, fighting the urge to moan as his kisses trailed even higher. He pushed me back gently against the bed and nestled himself between my legs, grinding his hips against mine slightly.

"Do you feel that?" he asked and then placed a lingering open mouthed kiss on the side of my neck.

"Yeah," I moaned, mentally pleading for him to rock into me again.

"All day, Bella. I've been walking around like this all fucking day. All because I've been around you. If you're so plain, as you put it, why would I have this little problem?" he asked as he lifted his head and gazed into my eyes. I chuckled and shook my head.

"First of all, little is the last thing I'd call it. Second, I don't see it as a problem," I replied as a slight blush rose to my cheeks.

"Ohhh...it is a problem though, love. It's a problem when we're outside surrounded by people and there's nothing I can do about it," he chuckled and rocked his hips into me. I moaned and wrapped my legs around him, keeping him pressed into me.

"I love hearing you moan, but we won't be doing much of that until you agree that we belong together," he said and I whimpered.

"I love you, Bella. _You_. There isn't a woman on the planet that can compare to you in my eyes. Some people may think I'm crazy for thinking this way, but here's what I know. I'm twenty eight years old, I've been in one long term relationship where I never felt even a fraction of what I feel when I'm with you, I've met a ton of women over the years and have never been attracted to any of them the way I'm attracted to you.....and if you keep rocking your hips that way and I'm not inside you in the next few minutes, I'm going to explode," he said as his voice deepened. I chuckled as his eyes closed and his head tipped forward slightly.

"Ungh," I moaned and arched toward him as he rocked his hips into me roughly and lifted his head.

"Think you're funny, do you?" he asked as he smirked and I stifled another chuckle as I shook my head.

"So what's it gonna be, Bella? Do you love me and want to be with me, or do you want to believe that we don't fit or belong together?" he asked with a serious expression as he stared deeply into my eyes.

"If this is multiple choice...where's my C option?" I asked as I fought off the hideously wide grin that wished to grace my face.

"You're killing me," he grumbled as his head dropped onto my chest.

"Edward," I said as I cupped his face in my hands and lifted gently. "Of course my answer is I love you and want to be with you," I responded sincerely.

"Good,

because I want to be with you and I don't give a damn who thinks we don't belong together," he said and then crashed his lips into mine.

It was a frenzy of tangled limbs, lips on skin, and flying clothes as we rolled around on the bed, moaning, gasping and grunting before we were finally naked and pressed against each other. He didn't waste any time as he buried himself deep within me, both of us crying out at the sensation as he stilled at the furthest depth he could reach.

"Can I just stay right here, just like this forever?" he asked breathlessly.

"No! Cause if you do, I'll explode!" I wailed and he chuckled as he started to move within me.

His rhythm was perfectly timed, his thrusts deep and powerful as he devoured my mouth and neck with his tongue and kisses. When his mouth descended upon my breast, my back arched as I began to clamp down around him.

"Oh shit...Edward...I'm gonna..._ungh_," I moaned breathlessly.

"Come my love," he panted as his thrusts came harder.

"God, Edward....right there...don't stop," I panted as my climax began to wash over me in waves. I moaned and arched as I shuddered beneath him. He continued to move at a slower pace as I came back down to Earth and attached his lips to mine.

He rolled as our mouths broke apart and his hands grasped my hips firmly. Instead of guiding me in an up and down motion, he pushed back and forth on them, exchanging the thrusting sensation for grinding and it felt fabulous. The way he completely filled me, and I could feel every inch of his hardened length within me was maddening.

"Do you feel that, Bella? We fit perfectly," he said and I moaned loudly as I nodded. He took hold of my arms and pulled me down gently so our chests were pressed together.

"I love you. There's no one else I'd rather be with," he breathed in my ear and I whimpered as he started rocking his hips gently below me.

"I love you, Edward...God how I love you," I panted as I kissed up the side of his neck.

"Show me, Bella. Show me how you love me," he murmured and I pulled my head up to look into his eyes. In them I could see everything. I could see the pain that love had caused him in the past, and the hope that our love could heal that pain, but most of all, I could see the love he held within him for me. It was blazing and bright as it shimmered in his eyes...it was beautiful.

"Close your eyes," I whispered as I trailed my fingers over his eyelids as light as a butterfly's touch.

His eyes flickered closed and I kissed each lid gently as my thumbs traced over his eyebrows. He whimpered slightly as I rocked against him slowly, continuing my adoring affections on his perfect features. With each one I caressed, I followed it with a gentle kiss. His forehead, his nose, his cheeks, chin, and finally his perfectly full and soft lips.

His eyes flickered open as I laced our fingers together and brought them up beside his head. I stared deeply into his eyes as I kept my slow and steady rocking rhythm against him, occasionally kissing his chin, nose, or lips, but never breaking my gaze. His whimpers continued as his eyes would temporarily close, blocking me from their emerald beauty. His breaths coming in either short pants or hitching in his throat all together. I hadn't yet witnessed him as he climaxed, and I desperately wanted to... needed to. He tried to unlace one of his hands from mine and move it to my nub, but I caught it quickly, lacing our fingers back together and shaking my head at him.

"Honey...I can't hold it back anymore...I'm gonna come," he panted and I lowered my face to his just enough that our lips were barely touching.

"Come, Edward. I want to see you. I want to feel you," I said softly against his lips as I kept my eyes locked on his.

Closing the distance, I placed a moist kiss against his lips and rocked my hips into him harder. He moaned and broke away from my lips as his head tilted and pushed back into the pillow. I continued to watch him as his breathing became even more erratic, his hands gripping mine tightly as my name fell from his lips in a continuous mantra of whispers. Edward fully clothed and innocent was beautiful, but Edward naked beneath me, caught up in the throws of sinuous passion, moaning and climaxing within me was goddamn glorious.

There wasn't a single fucking better sight in the world to my eyes, and just the view of it, mixed with the sounds of his orgasm, pushed me over the edge just as he started coming back down to Earth. I collapsed on top of him in a breathless heap, still spasming and contracting around him as his arms wound around me, holding me to him tightly as we calmed our erratic breathing and frantic pulses.

"That was the most amazing thing I've ever felt," he said suddenly and I leaned up and grinned like a goon. I can't even describe the happiness that his comment filled me with, knowing that even with my limited...practically non-existent...experience, I'd been able to make him feel the way I do every time he's inside of me.

"It's always amazing with you for me," I said, flushing slightly. His eyes locked on mine as he pushed the hair away from my eyes.

"Every time with you is amazing, but that was...in-fucking-credible," he replied with an awed look.

We laid in silence for a few minutes more before he sighed and I tilted my head to look up at him.

"We should really get back out there," he said and I nodded to him.

"I'm just going to take a quick shower," I said as I slid out of the bed.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked and I laughed at the uncertainty of his expression.

"Of course not...but I'm warning you buster...if you don't keep your hands to yourself it's going to be a while before we make it out of there," I warned, only half joking. He smirked and stood off the bed.

"Is that a threat?" he asked and I chuckled as I backed away from his predatory approach.

"No...it's a promise," I said as I held my hand out in front of me to block him. He smirked again and crouched, looking as though he were getting ready to pounce, as I continued to take steps backwards.

"Edward...don't...Edward....EDWARD!" I shrieked as he grabbed a hold of my outstretched arm and tossed me over his shoulder as he laughed.

"Alright Captain Caveman....put me down," I chuckled after he had entered the bathroom.

"Captain Caveman? I don't have long hair, or a loin cloth...and I do _not_ walk like a Neanderthal," he laughed as he lowered my feet to the floor.

"No you don't... but you do have a way of tossing me over your shoulder and stalking off...and we can always get you a loin cloth," I chuckled as I held up a hand towel to him. He laughed and shook his head as he tossed it aside and pushed me toward the shower.

Sadly, he did keep his hands to himself...mostly. Under different circumstances, I most definitely would have pushed it further, but I felt bad having everyone else outside working while we were selfishly focusing our labors on each other. After quickly washing up, and forgoing washing my hair, because really I was just going to get sweaty all over again, we stepped out of the shower and toweled each other off. We got dressed quickly and headed back outside to join the others who had moved a bit further down the beach while we had been inside.

Edward stepped in to help Emmett and Jasper haul some freshly filled bags away, leaving me with Alice and Rosalie, who unfortunately were quick to pounce on me.

"Bella... I highly suggest having that shit hole apartment of yours soundproofed," Rosalie guffawed and I turned straight up crimson.

"What?" I asked when I managed to pick my mouth up off the sandy ground beneath me.

"We heard the two of you from the beach...shit I thought you were loud during that damn storm...which by the way, _damn girl_! I never knew you had it in you to scream like a banshee like that!" she guffawed again as Alice was bent over laughing hysterically.

"Oh God...we're that loud?" I asked as I became flooded with embarrassment.

"Bells...you sounded like you were in Dolby surround sound the other night...he's no better," she chuckled and I started to laugh despite my mortification.

"You know...they say it's the quiet ones you always have to watch out for," Alice giggled as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Does this mean we can skip the interrogation for details?" I asked hopefully.

"Bells...we've heard more details through the walls than you would ever provide us. There isn't a lingering doubt to be found that he's doing his job...and thoroughly well I might add," Rose said as she shook her head. I let out a sigh of relief and bent down to pick up a palm branch.

"You know...I never imagined it could be this way," I said as I tossed the branch into one of the bags.

"Holy shit..is _the_ Bella Swan going to talk about _it_?" Rose exclaimed incredulously. I looked up and scoffed as I shook my head.

"No...I'm not going to talk about _it_... I'm talking about the way he makes me feel," I said as I bent down to pick up another branch.

"That's love for ya, chickadee. I've had some damn good sex in my life...but trust me when I say that none of it has ever compared to what I've shared with Em," she replied, and where I normally would have cringed and admonished her, I found myself smiling goofily at her. Her smile faded as her eyes widened as she looked at me, Alice's eyes widening significantly as well as she stumbled toward us.

"You...you're...you're in love with him! Aren't you?!" Alice stuttered through her shocked expression as she waved an accusatory finger in my direction. I flushed and nodded, my goofy grin still intact.

"Oh my God...Bella Swan fell in love," Rose muttered, still wide eyed, but her lips were twitching as she turned to look at Alice. I knew it was coming...any second now.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!" Alice squealed as she jumped up and down and Rosalie guffawed. My head fell back as I laughed freely, joining my inner nerd with Alice's wind chimes and Rosalie's inner dude, the combined sound probably assaulting anything with functional hearing within a mile radius of us.

"I told you, Bella! I told you...that first night at the luau!" Alice sang and I laughed again.

"Yeah, yeah...the all knowing, future seeing pixie strikes again," I joked and she snorted.

"You doubt my abilities...for shame. You'd think you'd be a believer by now!" she chided playfully as she poked at my arm.

"Sometimes I swear it's like everyone around me has super powers but me," I laughed and Rosalie quirked an eyebrow at me.

"She's the only freak in this crowd," she laughed as she pointed at Alice. Had anyone other than Rosalie or I called her a freak, she would have probably found one of her spiky heels and turned them into a shish kabob, but instead she just laughed and shrugged.

"So what's with these super powers that you're rambling on about?" Rose asked and I chuckled.

"I swear you can manipulate people's will power and force them to do whatever you want them to. Sometimes I think Edward can read my mind just by looking in my eyes, Jasper has this insane calming ability that even works on Ms. Caffeine Methamphetamine over here, and Emmett radiates happiness that even managed to seep through my concrete barriers. Don't even get me started on Diane and Marcus after talking to Kate," I laughed and they just shook their heads.

"Ali...I think our dear little Bella has finally lost her last marble," she said as she eyed me with mock concern and put a hand to the side of her face as she spoke to Alice, pretending to be secretive even though I could hear her plain as day.

"Oh come on! You can't tell me that you haven't noticed this crap too!" I wailed and they snickered.

"Bella, really. Think about this. I'm just a persuasive person, Emmett's just happy, Jasper's just calm, and Edward...well Edward can probably tell what you're thinking because once your guard is down, your face is like an open book. There's nothing supernatural about it," Rose said and I scoffed and rolled my eyes as I tied up the bag I had been filling.

"HEY! ARE YOU ALL HUNGRY?!" Emmett bellowed down the beach as they walked toward us.

"A LITTLE!" Rose hollered back and they stopped walking as they waved for us to come to them. I took a quick look around, and was pleased to find that the beach was almost totally cleaned up. I was starving, seeing as how Edward and I had neither breakfast nor lunch as we had been otherwise occupied.

We met up with them and walked up to the buffet by the pool. Apparently I wasn't the only ravenous one at the table as Edward, Emmett, and I all made multiple trips up to the service area. After we had finished our last plates of food, and I felt damn near ready to explode, we ordered a round of drinks for us, and beers for the guys.

"So I'm staying with Emmett tonight, and Alice is staying in Jasper's villa. Are you going to be okay by yourself?" Rose asked as the guys made their way to the desert buffet.

"I'll be fine, Rose. Edward will probably end up staying with me anyhow," I said reassuringly. She smiled and nodded as she lifted her frozen daiquiri to her lips.

"Jasper told me that they're going to be making a supply run soon, he didn't know exactly when, but he said they're usually gone for a few days," Alice said as she frowned slightly.

"We're leaving the day after tomorrow, actually. Jasper and I discussed it this morning," Emmett said as he sat back down with a plate filled with different slices of cake and a giant scoop of ice cream in the middle. How he managed to stay in shape baffled me as I watched him dig into the most delicious looking piece of cheesecake I'd ever seen. If I wasn't so stuffed I probably would have gotten a piece of it.

"Where do you guys go for supplies?" Alice asked curiously and Emmett held up a finger in her direction as he finished chewing and took a swig from his beer.

"A few places in Brazil. We keep a truck and trailer on the other side to load up as we go and bring it all back to the boat when we're done," he said and she nodded just as Edward and Jasper came back to the table.

"Talking about the supply run, huh?" Edward asked as he wrapped an arm around me and offered me a piece of his cheesecake as he shook the fork in front of me. I couldn't resist the temptation so I took it as he grinned and winked. I involuntarily moaned slightly and clapped a hand over my mouth as four other sets of eyes darted in my direction.

"Edward, hands above the table!" Rosalie chided and I almost choked.

"They are!" he cried out and I swallowed before laughing.

"Sorry...but that's absolutely delicious," I said as I pointed to the strawberry covered cheesecake on his plate.

"Like it huh?" Emmett asked as he grinned and I nodded. "It's my mom's recipe."

"Damn...tell her I'll trade her rights to one of my books for it," I laughed and they all chuckled.

"I'm fairly sure she'd give it to you free willingly within minutes of meeting you," Edward whispered in my ear and then nipped at it, causing my entire body to break out in goose flesh as a shiver ran through me.

"Get a room...a soundproofed one at that!" Rose guffawed and Edward stiffened next to me as I fought off my laughter. I tilted my head and lost it when I saw how red his ears were with his embarrassment.

"Sorry," I muttered quietly as I fought my goofy grin. "We're apparently a bit vocal."

"A bit?" she scoffed. "I've been to concerts that didn't render me as deaf as your cries of passion did."

"Rose!" Alice shrieked. "Stop! We've had to hear you on occasion as well."

I felt so bad for Edward. The poor thing looked as if he wanted to slide underneath the cover of the table and never emerge again...not that I didn't feel the same way with having both Emmett and Jasper sitting right there.

"Alright, alright..I'm done," she said as she held her hands up, her quivering lips giving her away that she was still laughing hysterically on the inside.

"You okay?" I whispered as I cupped the side of his heated face. He leaned into it slightly and nodded.

"Yeah...just caught off guard. I thought your bouts of word vomit would have had me better prepared for something like this," he chuckled quietly. I kissed his cheek and snickered against it.

"It's contagious. I have the chronic strain, Rose suffers from the acute strain," I chuckled and he laughed.

"Soooo... what are you all going to do while we're gone?" Jasper asked, trying to relieve the awkwardness at the table. It was then that I noticed how uncomfortable Emmett looked at the moment and I felt bad for him.

"Probably head into town one of the days and just relax on the beach the rest of the time," Rose said and Emmett relaxed slightly. "How long will you all be gone?"

"Two, three days tops," he responded quickly and then chugged the remains of his beer.

"I'd rather be with you," I whispered and he looked at me sadly.

"Love, it's boring, stressful, a lot of work, and it makes us cranky and not very fun to be around," he replied quietly as he cupped my cheek.

"I'll be back before you know it. Just do me a favor and stay away from sharp objects, any people while you're brushing your teeth, and make sure you look both ways before taking a sip of your drink," he joked and I slapped his arm playfully.

"That was mean," I pouted, only pretending to be upset.

"Aww...I'm sorry," he said as he kissed my protruding lower lip. "It was funny though."

"Sure...when you're not the victim of homicidal inanimate objects," I retorted and he laughed.

"You're a survivor, not a victim," he chuckled and I snorted.

"Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that the resort is all cleaned up. Esme called this morning, she's having a crew come in tomorrow for the rest of the island. I'm heading home for the night," Kelly said as she plopped down in a chair at our table.

"Thanks, Kel. You know you didn't have to come in for this today," Emmett said as he looked at her gratefully. She waved it off and stole a piece of his left over cake from his plate.

"Please...this place is like my second home...you know that. Jason will be coming in tomorrow night to stay until you guys come back from your run. I think he's bringing Greg with him as well," she said and he nodded.

"If we don't see them, tell them we said thanks. They're saving our asses," he said in reply and she chuckled.

"So it's true then? You guys really did fire Tyler?" she asked and they all nodded.

"One down...two to go," she chuckled.

"It won't be long...you know neither of them can hold off on being a schmuck for very long," Edward chimed in and she nodded.

"So what are you ladies gonna do while these three misfits are gone?" Kelly asked and we snickered.

"Probably just lounge around the beach or pool and relax," Alice answered and she nodded.

"Well...if you guys get bored lemme know. There are a couple of really good night clubs just across the way," she said as she pointed toward the mainland.

"Kelly, I don't know that that's such a good idea. You know some of those areas aren't very safe for tourists," Edward said with concern etched all over his face.

"Is that Worry-ward I see breaking through the surface?" she asked sarcastically and then gasped. "My Lord, it is!"

"Very funny, Kelly. I'm serious," he said as he leaned forward and rested an arm on the table.

"They'll be fine, Edward. I'm a local and they all know me over there. They'll be perfectly safe," she said and he grunted.

"Anyway...lemme know if ya want to go," she said as she stood from the table. We all said our thanks as she waved and walked away.

"Well, what do you ladies say to a dip in the pool?" Jasper asked after a tense silence fell over the table. It seemed that none of the guys really wanted us venturing off into unfamiliar areas on the mainland without them.

We nodded and started to stand from the table. Emmett, Rose, Alice, and Jasper walking off before Edward and I. I hated that tension surrounding us. It was so thick it was damn near palpable.

"Edward," I sighed and he stopped walking and turned toward me.

"Bella, look. I'm not trying to make decisions for you, or control you, or anything like that. But, please don't go to one of those clubs without us. It really isn't safe," he said frantically and my breath hitched as I saw the amount of worry behind his eyes.

"Okay," I sighed. "I won't."

"Thank you. I just don't want anything happening to you. I love you," he said and I nodded.

"I know. I love you too," I said as I leaned up to kiss him.

_Dear God...please, please, please don't let them ask me to go. There's no way I'm breaking my promise to him..._

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**AN: It might be a while before the next chapter is posted. I'm trying to work on it as hard as I can, but my sense of humor, and creativity at the moment are severely lacking. Please be patient, I'm sure I'll have something posted by the end of the week. Leave me some love. Reviews feed my addiction to keep writing and keep me happy. ~Jersey~**


	11. Humiliating Disasters

**AN: I totally had something to say before I uploaded this chapter, and now I can't remember what it was. Poop. Hm...oh well. Couldn't have been very important LOL. ENJOY!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of its characters...but I do own some of the embarrassing moments in this chapter. Can you figure out which ones? LMAO

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Humiliating Disasters

BPOV

Edward and I split ways as he went off to his staff quarters to grab his swimsuit while I headed back to the villa to change into mine. As soon as I was done changing, I headed down to the pool to meet up with everyone. Alice and Rose were the only ones there when I tossed my towel onto one of the chairs.

"So, what are the plans for while the guys are gone?" I asked as I sat down at the edge of the pool and let my legs hang down in the water.

"We were just talking about that. We figured Monday, we could just relax at the beach or the pool. Tuesday we really wanted to head back into town and check out some of the shops that we didn't venture into while we were there the last time, and hopefully they'll be back on Wednesday," Alice said and I nodded.

"Can you guys believe we've been here almost a week already?" Alice asked and we both shook our heads.

"I'll tell you what I can't believe. I can't believe we haven't had to pry her ass out of the bed once since we've been here," Rose laughed and I splashed water at her with my foot.

"Really, Bella. I swore we were going to have to wrestle you out of the bed every day for at least the first two weeks before you came around. I'm happy to see that I was wrong," she said and I looked down as I shrugged and nodded.

"What's gonna happen when we leave here in three weeks?" I asked gloomily. I knew out of the three of us, I'd have it the hardest with Edward actually living here, but Portland wasn't all that close to us, and Emmett probably wouldn't be going back to Seattle for another couple of months after we left.

"Have you and Edward talked about it?" Alice asked and I shrugged.

"He said we'll find a way to make it work. How exactly, I'm not sure," I replied sincerely.

"Jasper and I talked about it last night during the storm. It helped take my focus off of the weather...you know how I am with storms. Anyway, we decided that with my business being centered in Seattle, and him having the ability to freelance, he'd move up to Seattle when our relationship came to that," she said and I smiled at her, genuinely happy that they had it all worked out already.

"What about you and Emmett?" I asked Rose.

"We haven't really talked about it at all. I think we just don't feel the need to because he lives near Seattle. Our biggest hurdle will be the time between when we leave and when he returns home," she said and I nodded.

"Don't worry, Bells...it'll work out. I know it," Alice said as she tapped her temple. I chuckled and shook my head as I slipped into the water with them. We relaxed in the cool water for a few more minutes before we spotted the guys approaching. Edward made a gesture with his hand, asking if I wanted anything to drink. I smiled and nodded and he pointed to Alice and Rose.

"Do you guys want anything to drink? Edward's making a bar run," I said and they nodded to him and yelled out what they wanted. He laughed and veered away from Jasper and Emmett as he made his way down to the tiki bar.

"So what do you ladies want to do tomorrow?" Emmett asked as he hopped into the water right beside Rosalie.

"What are our choices?" Rose asked as she wrapped her arms around him. He lowered himself down into the water to her level and chuckled as he kissed her cheek.

"Your choices are endless...it's whatever you all want to do," he replied.

"Hm...well we've already done water skiing, and snorkeling...what do you girls think about parasailing?" Alice asked and I paled.

"Ali...you know I'm terrified of heights," I said as I shook my head.

"It'll be fine...we can do doubles that way you're not alone," Jasper offered and I shook my head vehemently as my heart began to pound in my chest.

"I'll go for the ride...but I'm not getting strapped to a kite and dragged through the air six hundred feet above shark infested waters," I said as I forced myself to chuckle, but it came out sounding as though I were gagging.

"Don't you mean barracuda infested waters, Bella?" Alice chortled and I stuck my tongue out at her.

"If you're seeing barracuda in the pool...I'm really going to have to drag you to that optometrist," Edward laughed as he approached with a tray full of drinks.

"I'm not seeing any barracuda in the _pool_, Edward. I haven't had enough to drink to hallucinate that creatively," I laughed and they all snickered.

"Just making sure," he chuckled as he put the tray down on the edge of the pool and handed me my glass.

"Thanks," I said gratefully, and he winked in return.

He slipped into the water and dunked himself under quickly before standing. Once again I found myself ogling him as the water droplets ran down his skin.

"Planning on catching some flies?" he chuckled as he gently pushed his finger against my drooping jaw. I closed it quickly and blushed.

"I can't help it," I muttered to the water. "You're too beautiful." He chuckled and knelt down in the water, looking up at me.

"I think it's cute that you ogle me unconsciously. I'm fairly certain I broke my jaw on the bar counter the first time I saw you," he chuckled and I scoffed as I shook my head.

"You don't seem to have a slack jaw issue any longer," I retorted as I rolled my eyes at him.

"On the contrary, it comes unhinged multiple times daily...you just never catch me before I put it back in place," he laughed and I chuckled.

"Great so not only do I have jaw issues, but I'm slow too. All I need to do now is start drooling to complete the picture of the village idiot," I joked and he laughed.

"Drool and all, you'll still be my village idiot," he chuckled as he pulled me toward him and kissed my belly.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his previous amusement vanished from his tone as he looked up to my troubled expression.

"Nothing," I said as I shook my head and forced myself to smile.

"It's not nothing. What is it?" he asked and I sighed as I placed my drink on the edge of the pool and sank down in the water.

"I'm just worried, that's all," I admitted as he pulled me toward him. I wrapped my legs around his waist under the water and ran my hands over his arms to his shoulders.

"What are you worried about?" he asked and then kissed my chin.

"I'm worried about how hard it's going to be when I leave. We aren't like Rosalie and Emmett who both live in Seattle, or Jasper and Alice who even though they don't live in the same state, they don't live worlds away either the way you and I do," I confided and he nodded, placing a kiss on my collarbone.

"So let's discuss it," he said and I nodded. "In three weeks, you'll be going back to Seattle. The way I see it, we have two options. Either we try to maintain a long distance relationship, and visit each other as often as possible, or one of us relocates," he said, completely at ease as if the decision were as easy as choosing between strawberry or grape jelly on your breakfast toast. At least with toast you can chuck it and make a fresh batch in a few minutes if you change your mind. Relocating your place of residence to an entirely different part of the world isn't anywhere near that easy.

"Edward, you can't leave here. You work here, your family is here, everything you've known for the last eight years is here, and I can't leave Seattle. My family is there, and Rosalie and Alice will be there," I said as I shook my head, realizing just how messed up our situation really is.

"Bella, first of all, I don't really work here, you know that. As far as my family goes, it's just my aunts and uncles who live here year round, but they're gone more than they're here anyway, well not Diane and Marcus but they aren't _really _family. Once this place was up and running, Esme decided to start traveling with Carlisle whenever he left to do his volunteer work. If, at the end of your stay here, you wanted me to go with you, I'd pack up in a heart beat and go. There's really nothing tying me to this place," he replied quickly.

"But what about all you do around here? You can't just pick up and leave. They need you," I argued and he shook his head.

"They can hire someone else to do what I do around here. Look at Emmett and Jasper. They only come here during the summer because they want to, not because they _have_ to. It's the same for me. I've stayed here because I've wanted to. I can leave any time I want to."

"Would you _want _to leave though?" I asked nervously.

"Honestly...if leaving meant that I was able to be with you, yes," he said confidently as he gazed into my eyes. I bit my lip as my eyes darted between his as they burned into me.

"Bella, look," he sighed, "I love my aunt and uncle like there's no tomorrow, but I haven't felt at home since I lived with my parents. That feeling of being complete, safe, and secure...that feeling of being _home_...is something that I haven't felt until being with you. Wherever you are is where I feel at home. It doesn't matter to me where you go or where you live. If you want me there with you, I'll be there because you're home to me," he said as happy tears welled up in my eyes.

"So, hypothetically speaking, if I were to say I wanted you to come live in Seattle…what would you say?"

"I'd say… am I renting or moving in?" he said as he placed kisses around my face. I bit the inside of my lip to fight off the mother whopper of all goofy grins.

"What would your answer be?" he asked as he pulled his lips back from my skin.

"Hypothetically?" I asked, as a slight bit of my shit eatin' grin escaped my control barrier and he smirked.

"Of course," he replied as he nodded.

"I'd say… get your own damn place cause you snore and hog the blankets," I laughed and his lips pressed together as his eyes narrowed at me.

"I snore? I had a hard time telling if it was the shutters shaking in the wind or if it was actually possible that something _that_ loud could come from something so small and beautiful," he joked, at least I think he was joking…either way I gasped and slapped his arm as his beautiful laughter surrounded me.

"I don't really snore, do I?" I asked self consciously. He chuckled and shook his head.

"No…but you do have a habit of tossing the covers off yourself in your sleep. I gave up on pulling them back up after about the fifth time you kicked them to the bottom of the bed," he said and I blushed.

"Sorry…it was kind of hot in the room with the power being out and all," I mumbled embarrassedly.

"No need to be sorry...It was rather enjoyable once the power came back on...and so did your lamp," he chuckled and I swatted his arm.

"Perv," I mumbled and he laughed.

"Hey...I'm not the one that had an orgy with your clothing, or did you forget about that?" he chuckled and my head tipped back as I laughed.

"No I didn't forget, and I'd be lying if I said it would never happen again," I snickered.

"What am I going to do with you?" he chuckled as he shook his head. I thought about my response to the last time he had said that, and found it to be just as suiting now as it was then.

"Keep me," I said as I grinned at him.

"Always," he murmured against my lips and then closed the distance, pressing our lips together firmly. My fingers thread into his wet hair as I pulled him closer to me, and I felt him harden against me as my nails scratched lightly against his scalp.

"I swear you'll be the death of me one day," he muttered as we broke apart and I laughed.

"Bella!" Rose yelled and Edward spun us in the water in the direction of her voice.

"Yeah?" I called back across the pool.

"Change of plans for tomorrow! There's too many guests going parasailing! We're going fishing!" she yelled and I laughed as I nodded.

"Okay!" I yelled back.

"Great...I could use a few new ear piercings," I chuckled as I shook my head.

"Note to self...forbid anyone from actually casting a line tomorrow," Edward chuckled and I laughed.

"You're going to be too worried about me to help on that supply run," I joked and he shook his head.

"Nope...because I'm going to fit you with a bullet proof suit and roll you up in bubble wrap and duct tape it to you. I'm even going to put a brain bowl on you just to be safe," he laughed and I gasped as I slapped his arm.

"Edward!" I wailed and he laughed harder. "That's not funny! I'd look like the Marshmallow Stay Puft Man!"

"But you'd be safe," he chuckled and I snorted as I shook my head.

"The way you talk you'd think I was a walking catastrophe. I may be close, but a catastrophe I am not... I'm more like a calamity," I retorted and his head fell back as he laughed. I'd never get tired of that sound as long as I lived.

"What are you guys laughing so much about?" Alice chuckled as she swam up to us.

"My apparent need to be wrapped in bubble wrap while they're gone because I'm accident prone," I said and she giggled.

"That probably wouldn't be a bad idea. Wish I would have thought about that before that science fair in high school," she smirked as she stood up next to us.

"Ali..don't...please. That was beyond embarrassing," I pleaded.

"Bella..it wasn't that bad. Besides..it was years ago. You're not quite as uncoordinated as you were back then," she chuckled and I shook my head as I tried to hide my face in Edward's chest.

"What happened at the science fair? I have to hear this," he chuckled just as everyone else came up to join us.

"Oh God...you're going to tell him the story aren't you?" Rose asked and Alice nodded.

"In ninth grade, we partnered up for a science fair. Our project had something to do with chemical reactions, I don't remember exactly what it was anymore though. Anyway, we had to mix chemicals in a test tube and then put them over a Bunsen burner for them to react and then explain what the reaction was or something. Well, Bella went to light the burner and before I could stop her, she singed off one of her eyebrows because her head was too close to the damn thing. She stumbled backwards, falling into someone else's table, knocking it over and ended up getting covered in different types of oils. When she tried to stand, she kept slipping on the oil and falling back down. She finally gave up and ended up crawling away, still sliding all over the floor on her hands and knees mind you, as I trailed after her trying not to slip and fall on the oil streaks she was leaving behind her," Alice chuckled.

"The worst part was how long it took for her to grow that damn eyebrow back. She tried to pencil it in once but good God that was a scary sight. She never tried that again, she just plopped a bandage over it until it grew back," Rosalie chortled.

"Jesus! Why in the hell did you have your face so close to that thing?!" Emmett bellowed and I tried to shrink within myself.

"I don't know. I always hated science, and being around all those damn people and judges made me nervous," I grumbled.

"Love, I really think you need to rethink that distinction between calamity and catastrophe because that was definitely catastrophic," Edward chuckled and I laughed sardonically.

"Oh that wasn't the worst of them all. You need the Holy Grail story if you want to call one of her embarrassing moments catastrophic," Rose chuckled.

"Why do you call it the Holy Grail story?" Jasper asked and I wanted to die right there.

"Because you'd have to travel and search for eons to find an embarrassing moment of this magnitude," she replied as she chuckled.

"So help me God, Rose...if you tell that story I'll drown you happily," I warned.

"Whatever, Bella. You'll probably trip and drown before you can catch me," she smirked and I huffed angrily.

"The Holy Grail story comes from our senior prom. She was _so_ nervous that night, and it was making her more uncoordinated than usual with all the fidgeting she was doing. So Ms. Disgraceful here, trips and falls down the stairs as she goes down to meet her date. As if that wasn't bad enough, we get to the prom, and she's still red as a tomato as she walks in, trips over the threshold, and falls into the arch where we were supposed to take pictures. The whole thing comes crashing down and hit multiple people on its way, ruining the hair of a few girls, and even manages to cause Kevin Brenner to need seven stitches right above his left eyebrow."

"A few hours later, she went to the bathroom, and got her damn dress caught up in her skivvies, and Lord knows how long she walked around like that before Alice and I saw it. To top the night off, she decided to take her heels off and do the electric slide with us, where she slid on the hardwood floor and busted her ass while trying to turn. When she went down, the entire dance floor got a glimpse of her knickers as well as the piece of TP stuck between her stockings and underwear," she ranted as they all burst out laughing hysterically and I about died of embarrassment right there, plum purple face and all.

"I'm sorry," Edward chuckled as everyone else was laughing hysterically. "I wish I would have known you in high school, I wouldn't have let any of that happen."

"Just laugh, Edward. I know you want to...it's impossible not to if you aren't me," I grumbled as I crossed my arms in front of my chest. I could tell how much effort he was putting into stifling his amusement. He was shaking for Christ's sake.

"I don't want to laugh at you when it clearly still bothers you," he said, his voice strained as he continued to fight off his amusement.

"It was years ago. I'm over it...I just hate that they brought that crap up. Go ahead and laugh before you have an aneurysm or some shit," I said as I poked him in the chest and forced myself to chuckle. Thankfully it came out decently believable. I'm not sure if it was my permission for him to laugh at me, or Jasper and Emmett's continuous booming laughter that finally caused him to crack, but his sudden guffaw nearly startled me.

"I'm sorry," he chuckled when his laughter finally died down. "It's just the visuals of all of that are too vivid not to laugh." I continued to glare down at the water, chewing on the inside of my cheek with my arms folded across my chest as I nodded slightly.

"I'm sorry. Really," he said, his tone devoid of any remaining amusement.

"It's fine," I grumbled and he curled a finger under my chin and guided my gaze to meet his.

"No...it's not. It clearly still bothers you, and I shouldn't have laughed," he said remorsefully as the echoing laughter of his brother and his cousin, as well as my best friends, continued to reverberate through the air.

"Emmett, Jasper...shut the fuck up! It isn't that goddamn funny," he said angrily as I tucked my head into his chest. He quickly stood in the water and started moving away from them. Their laughter ceased almost immediately, the only sounds remaining belonging to the dying chuckles of my best friends.

"Oh shit..." I heard Emmett mutter, followed by rapid sloshing of water as Edward continued to move away from them and rubbed my back in an attempt to comfort me.

"Baby girl...I'm sorry. I didn't know it still bothered you," he said frantically as he tried to step around Edward, but he kept twisting away.

"Dude, just back the fuck off for a minute," Edward growled and I tried to take deep calming breaths to stop the tears that wanted to pour from my eyes.

Oh how I hated my best friends at the moment. I don't think it was possible for them to make me look like any more of a giant _ass_ than I already appeared during any given moment on a normal day. For the first time in my life, I wished I had some type of Ace in my pocket to throw out and make them look like the shits they were in that moment, but of course, unlike me they were goddamn perfect.

"Bells?" Rosalie asked warily and I gritted my teeth together.

"Can you guys all just leave me alone for like five goddamn minutes? If you're going to toss me into the fiery pits of mortification without my permission, at least grant me the decency of being able to recover without looking like even more of a fucking ass," I grumbled as I continued to hide my face from everyone.

If a tsunami was going to hit at any given moment, I prayed to God it was this one, because I didn't think I'd ever be able to look at a single one of them in the face again. What was worse than that, was that their reactions to my being upset were making it completely impossible for me to stop the tears from coming, simply because it's one thing to be simply mortified, but it's quite another to be mortified and then humiliated yet again by having people notice how upset it made you to be embarrassed in the first place.

"Edward...put me down on the ledge please," I said quietly, trying to stop my voice from quivering.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly as he moved toward the edge of the pool.

"I'll be fine...I just need to be alone for a few minutes," I said as calmly as I could.

"Okay...I love you, Bella," he said softly and I nodded into his chest.

"I know," I replied, unable to say it back at the moment, even though it wouldn't have been any less true if I had said it in that moment than if I had replied in kind hours before. He sighed and placed me down on the ledge of the pool, kissing the top of my head before unwrapping his arms from around me.

I didn't waste a fraction of a moment before getting up and darting off. It was bad enough that they all knew I was upset, but I'd be damned if I'd let them see me cry over it. Though some might say I was being melodramatic and completely overreacting, I'd dare them to have walked in my shoes throughout my life, experiencing each time I tripped, or made an ass out of myself, or was the butt of someone's joke, only to get laughed at and made fun of every single time someone that witnessed your most recent moment of disgrace passed you in the hallway or even out in public. If they could live through that their _entire_ life, and still say I was being melodramatic, then and only then, would I somehow be able to agree with them.

I darted up the steps with tears flowing down my face, and burst through the front door, slamming it behind me. Not once did I ever stop to second guess why it wasn't locked as I stormed through the living room and straight into my bedroom, slamming that door behind me as well before tossing myself onto the bed face first and allowing my sobs to rip through me. I hadn't been there but maybe five minutes at the most when I felt the bed sink down next to me and a hand trail lightly over my back.

"Look...I already told you, I need to be alone," I said with as much strength as I could muster at that point.

"Awww...whatsa matter, beautiful? Did that shit Edward break your heart already? And after only a few rounds too," a male's voice said and I damn near choked as my breath caught in my throat. I scrambled to the other side of the bed and fell onto the floor.

"How the hell did you get in here?" I spat as I stood and shook with fear.

Adrenaline was coursing through my veins, my heart pounding against my chest, as he held up a key dangling from his finger. Tyler's sinister smile, and creepy eyes did absolutely nothing to calm my fears as I realized I was trapped on the absolute worst side of the room. All three of my possible routes to safety were behind him, the sliding glass doors, the bedroom door, and even the bathroom door...all behind him. I had nothing behind me but a goddamn wall with some landscape prints on it.

"I must say, he's got some damn good taste for a weekday flavor...damn good taste," he said as he stood off the bed and slowly started to walk toward me.

"You take one more fucking step and so help me God I will scream bloody fucking murder!" I warned severely.

_Could I have picked a more perfect time to say I needed to be alone? Oh dear God please let this be one of the times that they **don't **listen to me..._

"Aww, don't be like that, sugar. I'm into moaners...not screamers," he smirked and my heart just about shot through my throat as my eyes damn near popped out of my head.

_He couldn't.... There's no way.... Please tell me he didn't..._

"So what's it gonna be, sugar? Are you gonna play nice, or are you going to be a feisty one?" he asked and I felt the bile begin to creep up the back of my throat. I knew I had all of about thirty seconds to act at the pace he was moving.

_I'm sorry Esme... I thought as I picked up the lamp on the nightstand next to me. _

I ripped it from the wall and threw it at him as hard as I could, and the moment it left my fingertips, I scrambled across the bed, trying to make my way to any of the three doors on the other side of the room. Either my aim sucks worse than I thought, or he had been anticipating my action all along, because just as I was about to slide off the other side of the bed, he grabbed a hold of my ankle and tugged back hard. It hurt like hell, but I knew if I didn't fight with everything in me, I wasn't going to walk out of this room without becoming a victim of whatever the hell he had in mind.

"Mmm I like em feisty," he chuckled darkly as he righted himself, one of his hands still holding onto my ankle as the other ran down the length of my leg making my skin crawl.

"Don't fucking touch me," I spat as I pulled my leg back as far as I could, and thrust it right toward his face, catching him right at the bridge of his nose with my heel. His hand immediately released my ankle and I scurried off the bed limping, the pain in my ankle damn near unbearable, as I tried to run for the door, leaving him groaning and holding his face behind me. I had just made it to the front door and gotten my hand on the doorknob when he ran up behind me and grabbed a hold of my hair, pulling back so hard that I stumbled backward and fell on the floor.

_Shit...SHIT!!...I'm really not going to get out of this!!..._

"HELP!!!!!!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, only to have him roughly slap his hand over my mouth. I bit down into his flesh as hard as I could and screamed again. Instead of covering my mouth again, he grabbed me around the neck, tightening his hold hard enough to render me incapable of screaming.

As he continued to drag me backwards, no matter how much I clawed at his skin, he wouldn't let go, and I couldn't get my footing underneath of me quickly enough to actually make a move against him. My heart was ready to burst through my chest as he started pull me into the hallway and I desperately tried to cling to the sides of the walls. For a moment I swore I was hallucinating from the lack of oxygen when I started to hear my father's voice in my head.

_Groin, kiddo...Groin. What did I always tell you to do if a guy attacked you?..._

My feet scrambled beneath me, as I tried to put myself into a position where I could strike him. I closed my eyes and mustered up as much strength as I could, pulling my elbow out in front of me, and making it look like I was grabbing for his hand again before I thrust it backwards as hard as I could, hoping my blind aim hit him right where I needed to.

My aim may have been off with the lamp, but it hit dead center with my elbow as he fell to the floor, knocking me over and pinning me beneath him as his hand came off of my neck. I took in frantic breaths as I pushed and kicked at him and tried to move away. Over the sounds of his pained groans, I heard footsteps coming up the front steps of the villa and knock on the door. My throat was bone dry and throbbing, my body drained of strength, but my safety was relying solely on whoever was on the opposite side of that door.

"Help," I croaked as I sobbed and slid across the floor. The person knocked again, and I sobbed harder knowing that they hadn't heard me.

"Bella? Please open the door. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," Edward's voice emanated from the other side. Panic shot through me as Tyler lunged forward, grabbing a hold of my injured ankle and painfully jerking me back toward him across the wooden threshold separating the carpeted living room from the hardwood flooring in the hallway.

"You stupid _bitch_. You're gonna pay for that," Tyler growled low and menacingly as he struggled to slam his hand down over my mouth.

"Edward help!" I cried out hoarsely, twisting my head from side to side as I tried to kick and push my way out of his grasp.

The front door burst open, sending parts of the door frame flying just as Tyler's hand came down upon my mouth harshly, banging my head against the hard wooden floor. I sobbed into the palm of his hand as I clawed at it, trying to get it away from my face, the floor beneath me shaking with Edward's rapid heavy footsteps. Tyler's eyes shot wide open in fear as his hand flew from my mouth and he tried to scramble backwards.

"You fucking piece of shit!" Edward roared as he sidestepped my curled up sobbing form. He grabbed a hold of the front of Tyler's shirt, lifting him easily off the floor and slamming him into the wall. I tried to slide myself away from them, but I just didn't have the strength to do so.

"I warned you to stay away from her," he growled menacingly as his fist connected with the side of Tyler's face.

"Ed, come on... She said she wa...Oh _Jesus_," Emmett muttered. I looked up just in time to see him bounding over the front steps and into the doorway. He ran through the room, sliding down onto the floor next to me, his eyes filled with sheer panic as his shaking hands flitted frantically around me.

"Baby girl...Oh God, what did he do to you?" he asked in a strained voice as I sobbed. He gently hooked his arms under my knees and back and carefully lifted me off the floor, cradling me to his chest as sounds of Tyler's struggle continued from behind us.

"Get her out of here," Edward's enraged voice called, followed by a loud thud that shook the wall so violently that one of Esme's paintings crashed down to the floor. Emmett nodded as he stood with me in his arms.

"Not too hard, bro. It needs to look like she did it in the struggle," Emmett said quickly before carrying my sobbing form out of the house.

"I'm so sorry, little one. He won't ever touch you again, I swear it," he muttered and then kissed the top of my head as I sniffled into his chest and clutched at his shirt. My body was a trembling mess, my head hurt like hell, my throat was sore, and my ankle and knee were throbbing horribly. I had no idea where he was going, but at the moment, I couldn't have cared as long as it was away from Tyler.

"Bella? Bella!" Alice's voice screeched, followed by multiple sets of pounding footsteps on the wooden walkway.

"What the fuck happened?" Jasper asked, sounding winded. Alice was crying hysterically next to him as Rosalie gently moved my hair away from my face, allowing me to look into her terrified eyes.

"Crowley somehow got into their villa and assaulted her. Go with Edward and get him the fuck out of here before I kill him," Emmett growled as he pulled me in tighter to his chest.

"Are you okay?" Rose whispered as her chin trembled and tears spilled from her eyes. I sobbed and tried to nod to her.

"I want to know how the fuck he got in there, and how the _hell_ he got back on this island," he said, his voice trembling with his rage. Jasper nodded quickly as he looked at me worriedly and took off toward the villa just as Emmett started walking off.

"Key...I..He..was in...there...," I spluttered.

"Shhh, baby girl. Calm down," he said soothingly.

"He was in... even when...when Edward and I...oh God," I sobbed as Alice and Rosalie gasped.

"What?" Emmett asked as his step faltered slightly, and I tried to compose myself enough to speak clearly.

"He had the key...the missing...spare key," I choked out, hiccuping as I tried to hold back my sobs.

"Jesus Christ...Bella...I'm so sorry," he breathed as he pressed his cheek against my forehead.

"EMMETT! STOP!" I heard Edward holler followed by footsteps coming quick and heavy down the wooden walkway. He stopped and spun around quickly.

"Gimme her. _You_ go with Jasper. I can't go out on the water with that prick. I'll throw his ass overboard with the anchor tied to him for _ever _daring to touch her that way," Edward growled as he took me from Emmett's arms easily.

I felt like a damn rag doll being passed around, but I knew I didn't have the strength at the moment to stand on my own. I didn't hear his reply, but Edward quickly spun back around and kept walking in the direction Emmett had been.

"I'm sorry, baby. This was all my fault. I'm so sorry," he said frantically, kissing every place his lips could reach.

"It's not your...fault," I hiccuped as I sniffled. He sighed and shook his head, probably warring with himself on whether or not to argue with me on the matter at the moment.

"Edward, where are we going?" Alice asked, her voice thick from her tears.

"We're going to the house. Listen, when they get back, I need you both to go with them and pack a bag for all of you. None of you are staying there until we can make sure it's safe," he replied as he slowed his steps.

He tossed the door of a massive pick up truck open and gently placed me down on the passenger seat as Rosalie and Alice scurried around to the rear doors of the crew cab and hopped in. I leaned against the window as Edward jogged around the other side of the truck.

"Come here, angel," he said softly once he was in and he had started the truck.

I lethargically moved across the seat and tucked myself into his side. He sighed as he nuzzled his face into my hair and kissed the top of my head before putting the truck in gear and pulling away from the resort. The ride across the island was silent, with the exception of the truck's beastly diesel rumble. He pulled the truck through a set of iron gates after pressing a button on a remote attached to the sun visor, and drove up the windy path.

The foliage was incredibly dense against the path, only clearing once the house was in view. The path split once we emerged from the forestry, the right side of the path providing access to the front of the house, the left going slightly down hill and toward a triple set of garage doors situated underneath the house. He hit a second button on the remote, and pulled the truck into the the far right spot in the garage and killed the engine.

"The garage door should be open. Go ahead and make yourselves at home. If either of you need to lay down or anything, there's a guest room on the second floor, first door on the left. Rosalie, you already know where Emmett's room is. We'll be up in a minute," Edward said as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Come on, Ali...I'll show you around," Rose said quietly and they slipped out of the cab of the truck to make their way inside. As soon as they closed the doors to the truck, he crushed me to his chest, his breathing hitched momentarily and a strained and aggravated noise erupted from his throat.

"How bad did he hurt you?" he murmured as I felt a tear hit my shoulder. I sniffled and shook my head.

"I'm fine," I sighed as I curled further into his embrace.

"I'm sorry...I should have walked you back and made sure you were okay," he said, his voice quivering.

"It wasn't your fault," I sighed as I nuzzled my forehead into his neck, tears still leaking from my eyes. "I'm just glad you didn't listen to me."

"I was worried about you. I hated seeing you so upset," he said as he held me tighter. I shuddered as I thought of what would have happened if he hadn't of shown up when he had.

"Come on, let's get you inside," he said after a few minutes of calming silence. I nodded and he placed a kiss against my forehead as I pulled back to shift myself off of him. He slid out of the truck and I followed, grimacing when I placed weight down on my right leg.

"Ow," I muttered as I wobbled slightly.

"What hurts?" he asked, his eyes filled with worry as they scanned me for any obvious injuries.

"My right ankle and knee. I think he came down on my leg when I elbowed him in the jewels," I replied, smiling slightly at his ghostly chuckle.

"I can only hope you did some permanent damage. Unfortunately he'll recover from whatever damage I inflicted," he grumbled as he knelt down and gently inspected my leg.

"I don't think anything's broken, love, but maybe we should take you to a hospital to be sure," he sighed as he stood and I shook my head.

"No...it's just sore. I've had enough injuries to know the difference," I replied as my face scrunched up slightly.

"If it gets worse we're going," he said, his expression telling me he wasn't going to take no for an answer. I sighed and nodded as he gently lifted me into his arms and bumped the door to the truck closed with his foot.

"Hit that third button up there for me," he said as he nodded to a panel on the wall just beside the door leading into the house. I reached out and pressed it, and the garage door behind the truck began closing as he opened the door.

He climbed the steps, bringing us up into an open foyer at the front of the house. The house was bright with all of the natural light floating in from the giant wall of windows in the back. He walked quickly to a separate staircase and began to ascend the stairs. I was exhausted so I rested my head in the crook of his neck, figuring I could tour the house later on when I felt more up to it.

"Are you locking me up in the tower or something?" I snickered. I didn't think it was possible to have this many steps in a house.

"Ah, my fair maiden," he chuckled slightly, "you have discovered my evil plans."

"You know, my hair's not long enough for you to ascend when you come back with your white horse and armor. That would only work if you left me on the first floor and the window was only a few feet off the ground," I joked and he laughed.

"I'll never understand you. How you can be joking after what just happened confounds me," he said as he shook his head.

"I'm good at repressing unpleasant things when I need to," I replied as I shrugged and he finally started walking forward instead of climbing more steps. He placed me down gently on a giant iron bed covered in soft golden bedding and ornately decorated pillows.

"I'll be right back," he said as he placed a chaste kiss against my lips and wandered off through a door in the massive room.

The entire wall on my right was made of glass, providing me with an exquisite view of the ocean and the sun beginning to set on the horizon. My brow furrowed as I heard water running from behind the door he had disappeared behind. I guessed maybe he was taking a quick shower, so I took a few minutes to let my eyes wander through the room. On the nightstand next to me, was a framed photograph of a couple. It didn't take much for me to see that it was of his parents. His mother had the same odd shade of bronze hair only slightly lighter, and looking at his father's eyes was like looking right into Edward's.

Aside from that one photograph, there wasn't much else in the room besides an incredibly expensive looking stereo system. It wasn't until my gaze drifted to his other nightstand that I found myself blushing and feeling somewhat self conscious, for sitting atop that small piece of furniture, was his aunt's tattered and torn copy of 'Beneath the Surface'.

"I was curious," he said, startling me and my hand flew to my chest as I gasped.

"Sorry," he chuckled as he sat down on the bed next to me.

"When did you have time to read that? You've been at the resort all week," I said as my brow furrowed and I pointed to the book. He smiled slightly and shook his head.

"The morning after our all-nighter with our dear friend Jose, I came back to the house to grab a few things, and Emmett had left it sitting on the kitchen counter. I was curious so I came up here and read a little bit of it before hopping in the shower," he said and I nodded.

"You don't give yourself enough credit, you know," he said suddenly and my eyes shot to his.

"What?" I asked, confused at what would give him that idea.

"You don't. It's hard for anyone to chase after their dreams, but to have people constantly tell you that it will never happen, and that you aren't good enough... well that takes an amount of determination that few people possess to overcome," he said and tears pricked at my eyes.

"How much of that did you read?" I asked as I pointed in the direction of the book. He shrugged, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Almost all of it," he sighed and then tilted his head to look at me. "I couldn't sleep that morning. I gave up after about two hours and came here. I sat down with it around eight, and before I knew it, it was after one."

"I can't believe you read that," I muttered and then bit my lip. He chuckled and scooted closer to me.

"Don't go all self conscious on me now," he chuckled. "I can see why you're my aunt's favorite author. If it wasn't any good I wouldn't have lost track of time reading it."

"What were you doing in that other room?" I asked, hoping to divert his attention. His eyes shot open and he hopped off the bed as he cursed under his breath. He came back out a minute later chuckling and shaking his head.

"Thanks for that. I would have had one hell of a mess to clean up," he said and I bit my lip as I smiled.

"What were you doing?" I asked curiously.

"You'll see," he said as he lifted me up in his arms and walked toward the room he had just exited. He kicked the door open and I gasped as I saw the bathtub filled with bubbles and lit candles surrounding the edges of it.

"Can you stand for a minute?" he asked and I nodded as tears filled my eyes. He set me down and I balanced most of my weight on one leg as I kept my hands on his shoulders to steady myself.

"Are you really okay?" he asked as his hands trailed over the skin of my face, neck, and shoulders. I nodded and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his head down to mine.

His lips and tongue were gentle against my own as his hands caressed my back and pulled at the string to my bikini top. With both strings undone, he pulled it away from me and tossed it to the side. I shivered as his thumbs hooked under the sides of my bottoms and his mouth broke away from mine to shower my neck and chest with tender kisses. He looked up at me and placed a kiss against my belly as he slid the bottoms down my legs and helped me step out of them before standing again.

"I love you," he sighed as he pressed his forehead against mine and rubbed our noses together. "I'm sorry he hurt you."

"I love you too. It's over, Edward...I don't want to think about it anymore," I sighed, moving my head to press my face against his chest as his hands gently caressed my back.

"I need to check on Alice and Rosalie, and call Emmett. Let me help you into the tub and then you can relax for a while," he murmured after a few moments. I nodded and turned, allowing him to help me in without putting too much weight down on my right leg.

"I'll be back in a little bit," he said as the back of his hand trailed from my temple to my cheek and he leaned forward, kissing my lips sweetly.

I sighed as he shut the light off on his way out and closed the door, cloaking me in the soft flickering light of the candles around the tub. Sliding further down into the water, I closed my eyes and rested my head back, allowing the hot water and fragrance of the bubbles and candles to soothe me. As I laid in the water trying to forget all about what had happened in that villa, only one thing was clear to me.

A few short weeks just wasn't going to be enough.

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**AN: Reviews feed my addiction so I can feed yours! Leave me some! Much love to you all! ~Jersey~ **


	12. Where's the Fire?

**AN: Sorry this took so long to get out, but I've been deathly ill all week. It's amazing...I work in a hospital surrounded by sick people and I never get sick...I babysit a 7 month old with a cold and I end up with an upper respiratory infection from hell. Figures. Anyways...I have one thing to say about B/E in this fic...Bunnies. That's all I'm saying LOL. ENJOY!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. SM does, we all know this by now.

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Where's the Fire?

BPOV

I had soaked in the bath that Edward had drawn for me until the water had gone cold and the bubbles had pretty much disappeared completely. Thoroughly relaxed and pruned, I carefully climbed out of the tub and hobbled into the bedroom after drying off, the pain in my knee and ankle significantly less than it had been, but still sore. I stood there, in the center of the room that was lit only by the moonlight floating through the giant window and a lamp on one of the nightstands, debating on whether I should go and try to find Edward wearing just the towel he had left for me, or intruding upon his privacy to find something of his to wear. I had almost come to the decision to rummage through his clothing when someone tapped lightly on the door.

"Come in," I called, praying it wasn't either Emmett or Jasper that would be entering as the door slowly opened. I heaved a sigh of relief when Rosalie hesitantly padded across the pristine white carpeting.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

"I'm fine, Rose...I swear. Just a few bumps and bruises. Nothing that won't take just a day or two to recover from," I said as I hobbled toward the bed. She sat down gently right next to me and sighed.

"Bella...I...we didn't mean to hurt your feelings earlier. We know how having so many people laugh at you or make fun of you has bothered you for so long, but it's never bothered you when Alice or I have joked around about some of the things that have happened to you. We didn't stop to think about how telling them all of that would make you feel. We're really sorry. We should have kept it to ourselves," she said as she wrapped an arm around me. I nodded into her shoulder and sighed as I pulled away.

"It's okay, really. I'm just so tired of hearing people laugh _at_ me instead of _with _me. I thought I had gotten over all of it after high school, but just hearing them laugh that way reminded me of the way all those stupid people in school would laugh, and it hurt because I didn't want them laughing at me like that," I replied as I shook my head and looked down at the carpet.

It was true, I didn't want them laughing at me. Rosalie and Alice's joking comments had never bothered me because I knew deep down that they loved me. I never had to question that their comments weren't meant to hurt me, and that their laughter wasn't meant to make me feel belittled or mortified to an infinite degree. With the others however, it was different. Our relationships were all so new that there was no comfort in the undeniable truth that no matter where life took us, we would always be together.

That's what I had in Alice and Rosalie, an unbreakable bond that no amount of their laughter or my depression induced withdrawn nothingness could ever weaken. I didn't have that comforting reassurance when it came to my relationship with Edward, or my friendships with Emmett and Jasper. We all barely knew each other, and although we may have felt closer than people who had known each other for years, the fact still remained that only time would tell what would become of our newly established connections.

I want so badly for things to work out the way that we want them to. For Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett, and Edward and I, to all find the happiness within each other that has eluded us for years. I want for us all to have that happily ever after ending that authors write about continuously. The kind of ending that I'd never been able to write myself because I'd never felt what it's like to be that happy with anyone...including myself.

For two years I had locked myself away in my apartment, and although from the outside looking in it appeared as though my depression was based solely on Jacob's departure...it wasn't. It wasn't even close to what had kept me locked away for so very long. It was just the tip of the ice berg, the gust of wind that caused my house of insecurity cards to come crashing down around me, leaving me feeling like an empty vessel with absolutely no hope for a future filled with love and happiness. I spent two years trying to find something within me that someone else could love entirely, and with each passing day of finding nothing, I became more and more hopeless and the depression crept further into me. It infested every single cell of my body until it had left me devoid of feeling anything other than just plain tired all the damn time.

"Bella?" Rosalie called as she nudged my shoulder gently with her own. I shook my head and tilted my head to the side to look at her.

"Huh? Sorry...I spaced out," I said as grimaced slightly.

"Kinda figured. Edward told me to tell you to grab whatever clothes you felt comfortable in from his closet if you wanted to. He and Alice went back to the resort to grab some of our stuff...after he triple checked to make sure all the windows and doors were locked and showed me how to activate the alarm a dozen times and promise him that as soon as he shut the door I'd lock it and activate the damn thing," she said shook her head. I chuckled and covered my mouth to hide my amusement.

"You'd swear we were being locked away in the middle of the Congo with barbaric terrorist guerrillas roaming the woods with the way he was acting," she scoffed and I snorted, forcing my hand against my mouth even harder as I tried not to erupt into laughter.

"Rose," I snickered and tried to compose myself. "Guerrilla warfare was a tactic used by the Viet Cong and North Vietnam Army in the Vietnam war...not the Congo."

"What? But in Captain Ron there were guerrillas when he navigated them to that wrong island," she said with a confused look and my laughter finally broke free.

"Holy shit," I laughed and fell backwards onto the bed. "I swear if something doesn't revolve around fashion or performance engines you're clueless. Those were mercenaries, revolutionaries even, and you aren't even in the right hemisphere," I chuckled and she laughed as she shrugged.

"_Captain Ron_ ," I snorted as I rolled my eyes and sat back up.

"What? It was a good movie," she said defensively and I scoffed.

"The best part of that movie was when he lost his glass eye," I snickered as I hobbled toward a door that I was assuming led to Edward's closet.

"Oh my God," I gasped as my hand found the light switch and my eyes drank in the sight before me.

"What? What is it? Does he have skeletons in his closet?" Rose asked as she hopped off the bed. I shook my head and waved her over.

"No..it's his piano room. His aunt painted a mural of his favorite spot on the island...and it's..._perfect_," I said as I breathed the last word. She was undeniably talented. I couldn't believe how accurate and detailed the hand painted mural was. It was as if I were standing right there, just emerging from the trail into the opening.

"Wow," Rose breathed as she stepped into the room. "She really painted that?"

"Yeah...he told me about it the day we went out on his motorcycle. This is where he took me," I said as a smile slowly crept across my face. Remembering his confession as we sat on the rocks overlooking the cliff sent warmth racing through my veins.

"He's perfect for you, ya know." Her voice was soft as she smiled and turned toward me.

"Yeah well...I just wish I was as perfect for him as he is for me," I muttered to the floor and she scoffed as she walked toward me.

"Bella...you really need to get over your insecurities. We can't find a single thing wrong with you and yet you can find a million of them. While it may have been true that in high school you were a bit uncoordinated and had a slightly boyish figure, you're not that person anymore. You've grown into yourself and have become one of the most beautiful women I know both inside and out. Stop judging yourself so harshly and embrace who you've become instead of viewing yourself as that slightly awkward teenager with frizzy hair and glasses. She isn't you anymore," she said as she gripped my shoulders.

"Lasik surgery and the right conditioner work wonders...but neither can put even a slight dent in my figure or my clumsiness," I retorted as I rolled my eyes. She laughed and shook her head, dropping her arms down to her sides.

"There's nothing wrong with your figure. You're perfectly proportionate. In a few years I'm going to be wishing I had your perky breasts when mine have relocated to take up residence along side my belly button," she scoffed and I bit my lip, stifling my laughter at her gestures.

"Geez Rose... can you possibly paint a more graphic visual?" I snickered sarcastically and wobbled slightly as I tried to shift my footing.

"Gimme a few years and I'm sure you'll see what I'm talking about when I have a fit in a dressing room one day, but for now we should probably get you dressed before everyone returns. I don't think losing your balance in a towel will be the highlight of your day," she replied while wrapping an arm around my waist.

"At least it wouldn't be the absolute worst part," I sighed as we started to move forward, leaning my weight against her as I stepped down on my right.

"I still can't believe that happened. How in the hell was he able to get in there when we had been in front of it most of the day? The only time one of us wasn't there was when we went to eat. It had to have been then," she said and I shook my head as I turned to sit back down on the bed.

"It wasn't, Rose. I'm almost positive he had been there for a while before I got there," I said as I put my face in my hands and shuddered as I remembered his words and his knowing smirk.

"What do you mean?" she asked as she sat down next to me.

"He said he was into moaners not screamers when I threatened to scream bloody murder. It was the look on his face when he said it...I know he was in there when Edward and I...you know," I said and she gasped as her hand flew to her mouth.

"But we had been in front of the villa most of the morning while you and Edward were still inside," she said as she shook her head.

"Where did you guys go when you left first thing in the morning?" I asked, trying to figure out exactly when he had snuck into the villa.

"Um...Emmett and Jasper went and escorted Tyler off the island after firing him for everything we told them the night before about what he did to Jess, and then we went to breakfast before joining the others in the clean up duties,"she said and I nodded.

"I'm willing to bet it was while you all were at breakfast and Edward and I were...busy," I said as I cringed slightly.

"How would he have made it back that fast though?" Rose asked and I shrugged because I really didn't know.

"I don't know, Rose, but it doesn't matter. It's over," I said as I tried to stand again. She grabbed my arm and shook her head at me.

"You sit...I'll find you something to wear," she said and I nodded to her. She walked up to the only door that neither of us had opened, and I laughed as she exclaimed "Eureka" and stepped into the walk in closet.

"Okay...you have a choice of button down shirts, t-shirts, uhhh there's one pair of sweatpants in here..." she trailed off and I chuckled lightly from my spot on the bed.

"Just grab me a button down and see if you can find a pair of boxers in there somewhere. I'll trip over his sweatpants," I called out to her and she laughed as I heard her opening and closing what sounded like drawers.

_Who the hell has drawers in their closet?..._

"Bella...I want this closet, and you better thank me because I don't touch any man's skivvies...clean or otherwise," she chuckled as she walked out and I laughed. She handed me a deep blue long sleeved button down shirt and a pair of light blue plaid boxers. I pulled the boxers on underneath the towel and slid the shirt on before pulling the towel off of me.

"Did he leave any other marks besides the ones on your neck?" she asked with a pained expression.

"I don't know...I haven't looked at anything yet," I said as I shrugged and rolled the top of his boxers up so they wouldn't fall off.

"Did he hit you or anything?" she asked worriedly as she helped me roll the sleeves of the shirt up to my elbows.

"No, but my side is kind of tender from where it was dragged across that wooden threshold on the floor between the living room and hallway," I said as I turned slightly. She lifted the side of the shirt and hissed as I cringed when she touched it lightly.

"That's gonna look nasty in the morning," she said as she stood up next to me. "We should probably get you a tankini or something to hide that until it goes away."

"Is it _that_ bad?" I asked as I tried to turn to see it. Unfortunately it was located more on my back than my side and I couldn't.

"It's pretty bad, Bells. It's scraped up pretty good and just starting to bruise," she said and I grimaced.

"Well shit, I guess I didn't make it out unscathed. Kinda makes me wish I had gotten in another hit on him," I grumbled as I plopped back down on the bed.

"I'm proud of you, Bells. Edward told me what that jackass's face looked like when he got there. Sounds to me like you broke his nose," she said, beaming with pride.

"Yeah well I owe it all to you and Charlie that I even managed to fight him off for as long as I did. Those self defense classes you made Alice and I take after you got mugged paid off, and so did Charlie's numerous lectures on where to hit a male attacker," I chuckled.

"Go Bella," she chuckled. "Get him right where it hurts."

"What's that beeping sound?" I asked as my eyebrows furrowed and I looked up at Rose.

"I don't know.." she trailed off as a loud alarm started blaring through the air.

"HOLY SHIT! SOMEONE'S BREAKING IN!" she screeched and ran to slam the bedroom door shut and lock it.

"No fucking way!" I wailed as I hobbled off the bed, trying to look for something to use as a weapon. Damn Edward and his meticulously clean room. All I had was a book, a picture frame, about a thousand CDs and two lamps.

"Shit," I muttered realizing we had nothing to defend ourselves with. Rose's ear was attached to the door trying to hear anything over the deafening alarm.

"I think...I think it's Emmett and Jasper!" she yelled as she opened the bedroom door. I was just about to yell at her when Jasper's yells mixed in with the sound of the alarm.

"GOD DAMNIT EMMETT! WHAT'S THE FUCKING CODE FOR THIS STUPID THING!"

I started laughing as I hobbled over to Rosalie. The noise finally ceased and left my ear drums ringing as I grabbed a hold of her arm to steady myself.

"Rosie?! Alice! Bells?! Are you guys here?!" Emmett hollered up the staircase.

"Yeah! You guys scared the shizz out of us though!" Rose hollered back then turned and snickered into my shoulder.

"I think I peed a little," she chuckled and I laughed as Emmett came bounding up the stairs.

"Where's Edward and Alice?" he asked, sounding slightly winded at having run up the steps.

"They're still at the resort picking up some of our things. They haven't gotten back yet," Rose said as he stepped forward and kissed her temple.

"Sorry for scaring you. We never set the alarm unless Edward's staying at the resort and my parents are away," he said and we nodded.

"You okay baby girl?" he asked as he wrapped his huge arms around me. I cringed a bit as his hand ran over my tender spot on my back as I nodded into his chest.

"Em..be careful. He did a number on her back," Rose said urgently and he let go instantly with a worried expression.

"Let me see it," he said through clenched teeth just as Jasper approached the top of the stairs. I pursed my lips and turned as I lifted the back of the shirt.

"Son of a... I knew I should have tossed his ass overboard," he said angrily as he crouched down to the floor to get a good look at the damage.

"Is that the only thing he did?" he asked as he pulled the shirt down and stood up.

"I have a few marks on my neck and a sore ankle but that's it," I said and watched as his jaw clenched.

"I should have roughed him up worse than what Edward did. He deserved no less for hurting you," he said as his expression softened.

"What did you two do with him?" I asked, hoping there was no possibility for him to do something like this to another person.

"Jasper and I turned him over to the authorities in Brazil, which sadly enough won't do much of anything aside from possibly sending him back to the states, but we made it abundantly clear that if he ever shows up here again he _will_ end up in the water as shark bait," he said as his jaw clenched again.

"Listen, he's not going to come back. He was petrified when we turned him over to the authorities... practically begging for his life. Eric is gone now too. The only one of the three of them still here is Mike, and you really don't have to worry about him. He's all talk...that idiot is still a virgin. He admitted it after getting drunk one night at the bar not too long ago," Jasper said and I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

"You're sure that Eric won't come back and do something like Tyler did?" Rose asked warily and Emmett and Jasper both nodded.

"Yeah, we're sure. He didn't know that Tyler had been fired when he brought him here practically right after we had dropped his ass off. He thought he was just bringing him into work. When we told him what happened he took it upon himself to quit. Said he didn't want anyone thinking he was capable of doing the same thing or thinking that he had anything to do with it," Jasper said and Rosalie relaxed slightly.

"Are we going to be staying here while you guys are gone?" I asked curiously.

"If you all want to you're more than welcome to, but I don't think we're going to be leaving on Monday. I don't think Edward's going to be leaving you alone for a while after tonight, and honestly, we're not really thrilled with the idea of leaving either," Emmett said and Rosalie heaved a sigh of relief.

"But you guys need to go," I said as I shook my head.

"Baby girl, it's alright. We're okay for a little while longer. Don't worry about it," he said, trying to placate me.

"We were gonna sit out back and have a few beers. Are you tired, or would you like to join us?" Jasper asked and I nodded.

"I'll join you guys. I don't really want to be up here alone until Edward gets back," I said and they all smiled slightly.

"Come on, little one. I'll give you a ride down the stairs," Emmett chuckled as he bent down in front of me. I felt like a little kid climbing up on his back and wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Just don't drop me," I laughed nervously as he stood.

"What...like this?" he chuckled as he let go of my legs and squealed as I slid down his back a bit before clamping my arms and legs around him. He laughed as he hopped and boosted me back up so I was seated high on his back.

"Yes...like that," I laughed as I swatted at his chest and Rose and Jasper laughed.

"Okay...I'll keep that in mind," he chuckled as he started to descend the stairwell.

The downstairs of the house was cloaked in darkness, save just the hallway light where they had come in, and the moonlight lighting up the vast open area of the first floor. Emmett strode straight into the kitchen and flicked the light on, revealing a sea of stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops and probably the biggest refrigerator I've ever seen in my life. It was easily twice the size of the one that I'd had in my house before I'd moved out of it, and I had thought mine was monstrous. The kitchen island had a stove top and sink built into it, and a rack hanging above it with an array of pristine pots and pans dangling from it. Jasper opened the refrigerator door and pulled out two beers before tilting his head to look at me.

"Beer or a wine cooler? I'd offer to make you something but we don't really keep much of anything for mixed drinks around the house," he said and I chuckled as I reached past him as Emmett studied the refrigerator's contents, and grabbed a Blue Hawaiian wine cooler for me and a margarita one for Rose. I turned slightly and held it out to her.

"Grab me another one... I'm gonna need it," she chuckled and I snickered as I reached back into the fridge and grabbed us two more. I knew I'd need another one as well.

"Who the hell ate the last of the cheesecake?" Emmett cried out after looking through each of the shelves within the fridge.

"Edward ate it," Jasper said quickly and Emmett huffed as he looked at him. I was willing to bet he was narrowing his eyes at him in that strange calculating way that each of his family members possessed.

"Liar...you ate it," Emmett chuckled and Jasper laughed.

"Yeah... I did...before I came up the steps," he laughed and Emmett shook his head.

"Dick...I wanted that," he grumbled as he kicked the refrigerator door shut. I buried my face in the back of his neck as I tried to stop myself from laughing at his petulant behavior.

"Jasper ate the last of the cheesecake?" Edward chuckled and I twisted to the side, smiling instantly as I spotted him and he winked at me. I hadn't even heard the garage door open or them come in.

"Yeah... what the hell am I supposed to eat now before bed?" Emmett whined and I stifled my laughter again.

"I guess it's a good thing I thought to grab you some sweets before we left the resort," he chuckled as he held up a plastic bag in the air.

"I thought you were joking about his nighttime sweet tooth," Alice giggled as he tossed the bag on the counter and held his arms open for me. He plucked me off Emmett's back and I wrapped my arms and legs around him as he hugged me tightly to his chest.

"Did you enjoy your bath?" he asked quietly and I nodded and kissed his lips softly.

"I did, thank you," I said as I pulled back. He kissed my lips once more and hummed before pulling away and licking his lips.

"I grabbed you a beer, man. We're heading out back," Jasper said as Alice wrapped an arm around him and they turned to head out with Rosalie and Emmett following close behind them, Emmett toting his beer and box of sweets.

"How's your ankle?" he asked as he set me down on top of one of the counters and I set my bottles aside.

"It's still a bit sore but not quite as bad as it was before. It should be okay in a day or two," I said and he nodded as he bent down to place a kiss against it.

"Getting even better already," I chuckled as he stood and smiled crookedly at me, but it wasn't right. It didn't meet his eyes.

"How's your back?" he asked, his eyes sorrowful and filled with pain.

"You saw that, huh?" I asked as I grimaced and he nodded.

"Yeah...when I was helping you into the tub. Does it hurt much?" he asked and I shrugged.

"It's just a little tender," I replied truthfully as I watched his jaw muscles tense. I raised a hand to his cheek gently and cupped it as he leaned into it and closed his eyes.

"It's over, Edward. Don't dwell on it," I said softly and his eyes flickered open.

"I just keep thinking of what could have happened if I hadn't come to check on you, and to top it off, knowing that he heard and possibly saw us together...." he trailed off as his hand came up to cover my own upon his cheek.

"So he had been in there when..." I started but couldn't finish when a shudder ripped through me thinking of all that he could have seen.

"Yeah...he was. Emmett told me when I called him. I was ready to tear out of here and catch up to them, but Alice stopped me. That's why we were gone so long, she was trying to calm me down before I came back here to you," he said as he looked at me with apologetic eyes. I took in a deep breath, ridding myself of any embarrassment that I was feeling. It wasn't my fault or Edward's that some sick pervert had invaded our privacy.

"It doesn't matter. It's over. Thank you...for showing up, for protecting me," I said as I peppered his face with grateful kisses, ending with a searing one against his lips.

"Do we really have to go out back?" he groaned as his arm snaked up my shirt and pulled me closer to him. I chuckled as I shook my head and in a flash he swooped me off the counter and headed toward the staircase as I laughed.

"Where's the fire?" I chuckled and he grinned at me.

"It hasn't started yet, but your lips armed the extinguisher," he chuckled and I tipped my head back as I laughed. My laughter quickly turned to breathy moans as his mouth attached to my throat, kissing, sucking, and nipping greedily. Without even needing to look where he was going, he made it into his room and locked the door behind him before lowering us down onto the bed.

As if his mouth wasn't setting me ablaze already, he pulled back and ripped the front of his shirt open, buttons scattering about and groaned breathlessly as his eyes trailed over my skin burning into me, searing every inch that he set his sight on. I instantly decided that yes, spontaneous human combustion was entirely plausible and possible, and if he didn't stop looking at me that way, it was going to happen within the next few seconds right here in his room.

"Edward," I moaned. "Stop staring and put out the damn fire," I groaned as I tried pulling him back down on me.

His lips crashed down upon mine and our tongues crashed in a fervent battle against one another. I tried fumbling with the buttons on his shirt, and gave up after a whole whopping three seconds of frustration and ripped it open, buttons once again scattering through the air. He chuckled slightly and then moaned loudly as I nipped at his bottom lip as my hands greedily devoured his chest and sides.

I tried pushing his shirt over his shoulders, and upon realizing that I wouldn't be able to push it off of him in his position, he broke away from my lips and pulled it off, tossing it clear across the room as I chuckled breathlessly.

"I love you so much, my Bella," he whispered in my ear, turning the fire that was already coursing through my veins into a blazing inferno as he licked and nipped at my ear.

"Oh God, I love you too," I shuddered as his hands and mouth descended upon my breasts, slowly moving further and further down my body.

"Have I...ever told you...how sexy you are...when you wear my clothes?" he asked in between his wet open mouthed kisses that he was trailing down my stomach. I could do nothing besides whimper and writhe beneath him as he came closer and closer to where I needed him most.

He slid his boxers down my legs, tossing them off to the side before settling himself between my thighs. Just the sight of him between my legs, looking at me with insatiable hunger, was enough to send me over the edge. I cried out and arched off the bed as I felt his fingers slip between my folds, spreading me open to him. He groaned as his tongue slid between my wet lips, the vibration from the sound and the heat from his breath causing me to moan loudly.

"So fucking delicious," he moaned and attached his mouth to my bundle of nerves as his fingers slid into me. I gasped and moaned, arched my back and bucked my hips as he worked his magic on me, bringing me to soaring heights, and rendering me incapable of anything aside from crying his name out in a continuous mantra. He consumed every part of me. I could think of nothing but him and the way it felt when he touched me.

When I had finally returned after shattering into a billion pieces, I gave a gentle tug on his hair and pushed on his shoulders as he crawled back up to me. He rolled onto his back and I straddled myself over his hips. I lowered myself so that my head was tucked next to his and licked the curve of his ear. He groaned and grabbed a hold of my hips, pushing me down as he thrust upward, grinding our hips together.

"Do you have any idea what it does to me when you touch me that way?" I whispered, hoping I was coming off seductively. I smirked when his breath hitched and then released as he groaned.

I trailed my kisses down the side of his neck, across his chest and down his perfect abs. Licking, and tasting every single inch of him that I could. He shuddered beneath me as I nipped at his hip bone, right above where his shorts sat low on his hips, as I undid the button and zipper on his shorts. His magnificent erection sprung free as I slid his shorts down his legs and tossed them off to the side, drinking in the sight of him the way he had done to me numerous times before.

"Stop staring, Bella...the fire's burning," he smirked and I bit my lip, fighting off a chuckle.

"It's torturous isn't it?" I smirked back, running my hands up his thighs. He whimpered as he nodded and writhed underneath my touch.

I slowly crawled back up in between his legs, watching his eyes as they watched me, hooded and full of desire. His breath hitched in his throat and his head pressed back into the pillows as I pressed my lips against the skin of his inner hip, my hands caressing his sides and abs. I kissed all the way across to his other hip slowly, swirling my tongue against his skin and nipping him occasionally as my hand trailed down to his massive erection.

"_Jesus_," he muttered as his hips bucked, pushing his erection further into my hand.

I slid my tongue slowly up the underside of his shaft and twirled it around his head. His breaths came out in short quick pants as he shuddered beneath me, his reactions giving me confidence and fueling me on as I took him in my mouth completely.

"Oh God, _Bella,"_ he moaned as his hands came up to thread into my hair. I kept my movements slow at first, acclimating my jaw to his sheer size. I used my hand to stimulate the portion of him that I couldn't fit in my mouth no matter how hard I tried. His hands in my hair gently guided my speed as I bobbed up and down on him, licking, sucking, and thoroughly enjoying every whimper, moan, grunt, and groan he emitted.

"Love...up...baby...I'm gonna..." he said breathlessly. I knew what he was trying to do, and I knew what was going to happen, and I wanted it to. I had never thought I would ever _want_ to have someone's cum in my mouth, but because it was him, I did. I wanted to taste him, to drink him up the very same way he does to me. I moaned around him as I bobbed my head up and down faster.

"_Shit, _Bella, Bella, _Bella," _he moaned as he twitched inside my mouth, his cum shooting to the back of my mouth, hot and thick, slightly salty and slightly sweet, but completely him. I swallowed around him as he sighed and shuddered beneath me. When I was sure he had finished completely, I withdrew him from my mouth and trailed kisses back up his stomach and chest, his arms wrapping around me as he tried to steady his breathing.

"That was...I've never felt anything like it before," he mumbled as my lips reached his neck. I hummed happily as I kissed my way up and across the bottom of his jaw. He grasped my face and pulled it up, attaching his lips firmly to mine as he rolled us so that I was on my back once again.

"You're everything to me. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you," he whispered as he broke away from my lips.

"I'm yours, Edward. I alright and I'm not going anywhere," I assured him as I caressed his cheeks with my thumbs and gazed into his eyes.

I knew what he was thinking about. I knew he was still terrified of what would have happened if he hadn't of arrived when he had. I wish with everything in me that I could take those moments back where I had run away from them so that none of that had happened, but I couldn't. The only thing I could do was focus on the fact that he had arrived when I'd needed him the most and I was able to emerge from that situation relatively unscathed.

"Make love to me. I need to feel you inside me," I whispered as I lifted my head to press my lips against his. I felt him harden almost immediately against my leg and I whimpered in response as he broke away from my lips.

"Roll on your side, I don't want to hurt your back," he said and placed a chaste kiss against my lips before rolling off to his side. I rolled over and he pulled me back against him, my tender side free from being rubbed against the bedding as he positioned himself behind me.

He pushed my hair off my neck and kissed from my shoulder to the crook of my neck as he slid into me, groaning against my skin as I moaned at the sensation. My arm hooked around behind me, my fingertips scraping against his scalp lightly as they thread through his silky hair. His movements within me were slow and sensual as he continued his loving affections on my neck, shoulder and upper back, his hands caressing and kneading my breasts and torso. I rapidly felt myself climbing toward that now familiar peak as his thrusting picked up speed, his grunting and groaning creating a beautiful musical symphony with my moaning and whimpering.

"Damn you feel better than anything I could ever imagine," he grunted as he grabbed my leg and pulled it back, resting it atop his thigh. His hand came around to our point of connection, his fingers sliding between my slick folds and homing in on my nub, rubbing and pinching it lightly between his fingers.

"Haa...ahhh _shit, _Edward, _Edward_," I moaned as my orgasm took me over. His thrusting became almost urgent, our skin slapping together, the sound mixing in like a percussion rhythm to our melodious sounds. Something about the sound of all of it caused something in me to snap.

"Harder, please...I want to feel every inch of you in me," I plead, clutching at the bedding beside me. He grunted, rolling us quickly so that I was flat on my stomach until he pulled my hips up with him as he sat back on his haunches.

I was almost mortified at being in this position until he started pounding into me from behind. Feeling him hit a barrier within me, where I knew he could go no further, forced any type of thought from my mind aside from how goddamn good it felt. The sound of our skin slapping as his hips collided with my ass, practically echoed throughout the room.

"Come with me...I can't hold out like this," he grunted as his hands gripped my hips and pulled me back in time with his forward thrusting. I was close, but I knew I'd need to help myself along if I wanted to fall off that peak with him. I braced myself with one arm and reached down with the other, my hand instinctively going straight to my bundle of nerves.

"Fuck that's hot," he moaned as my fingers grazed him as he plunged into me.

My thigh muscles were quivering between the feeling of him driving into me and my own manual stimulation. I felt my orgasm building quickly as I started trembling all over, my calls to him falling incoherently off my lips as it slammed into me, causing me to scream out unintelligibly to him. He thrust in three more times before burying himself deep within me and emitting a primal and guttural sound that caused me to shudder as he collapsed on top of me, immediately rolling us to our sides and attaching his lips to my skin everywhere he could find.

"Did you put the fire out?" I chuckled breathlessly after relocating my ability to speak clearly. He laughed against the skin of my back.

"I'm pretty sure the extinguisher is entirely empty...if the fire's still raging we may have a problem," he said and I laughed as I rolled over.

"I'm seriously thinking about getting a Smokey the Bear tattoo," I chuckled and he laughed.

"You know...where he's pointing at you and saying 'only you can prevent forest fires'," I chuckled and he shook the bed with his laughter.

"I thought people were supposed to say romantic things after making love, not talking about fires and forestry service bear tattoos," he chuckled and I bit my lip as I shrugged.

"I think I prefer this... I love that you get my sense of humor and I love hearing you laugh. It's a good combination of the two of us. Your romantic talk in the beginning and my nonsensical ramblings afterwards," I said as I traced invisible patterns on his chest.

"I think I agree with you. I love hearing the things you come up with, but I can't imagine how laughing hysterically would get us as worked up as our words of affection do," he mused and I chuckled as I nodded.

"Yeah...there's really nothing romantic about Smokey the Bear, or death by orgasms, or nudist colonies," I laughed as I pressed my face against his chest.

"No...there isn't, but those were all _very _memorable conversations," he chuckled and I shook with silent laughter.

"People would probably think we're crazy," I said as I shook my head and looked at him. He grinned crookedly and placed a kiss against my lips.

"I am crazy...crazy about you," he said as he pulled back and tucked my hair behind my ear.

"I'm pretty insane about you too," I replied as I tilted my head up to kiss his chin.

We laid in silence for a few minutes, just caressing each other lightly. I could hear the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore behind the house faintly, and the steady beat of Edward's heart as I had my head resting against his chest. All too soon, mother nature decided to pay me a visit and I excused myself to the bathroom, swatting off his attempts to help me. My ankle wasn't hurting anywhere near as badly as it had earlier, and walking wasn't proving to be too difficult to manage on my own. I finished my business quickly and washed my hands, then pursed my lips as I realized I didn't have my toothbrush with me. I walked back out of the bedroom, surprised to see Edward in boxers and just walking back through the bedroom door.

"Hey...I ran down and grabbed your bag. Alice packed it, so if there's anything missing blame her," he chuckled.

"As long as she packed my toothbrush she's safe," I replied, smiling as I walked toward him.

"Bingo," I snickered as I found it in the bag and turned to head back into the bathroom. Edward followed behind me, and side by side like an old married couple, we brushed our teeth.

"So, I have a question for you," he said as we climbed under the covers after I had changed into a tank top and his boxers.

"Shoot."

"Why Marie Sanders?" he asked and I smiled as I relaxed back against the pillows and he rested with his head propped against his palm.

"It's my middle name and my grandmother's maiden name. I'm extremely close to her. She's probably the only one in my family that I'm that close to," I said as I looked over at him.

"Are you closer to her than your parents?" he asked and I nodded.

"Definitely. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents dearly, but they have an innate ability to drive me completely insane. She's the one I've turned to my entire life when they've pushed me beyond the brink of sanity," I chuckled.

"What about you? Who are you closest to in your family?" I asked and he seemed to think about it for a few moments.

"Probably my Aunt Esme. She gets me in a way that no one else ever has. It's like I don't have to say a word to her and she just knows. She knows when I need to talk about something, or when I need to just be alone to deal with whatever is plaguing me at the time," he replied and I smiled as I nodded.

"They adopted you right? Your aunt and uncle?" I asked and he nodded.

"Did you take their name or did you keep yours?" I asked curiously and he chuckled.

"At first, I kept my own. For a long time I felt that it was the only thing still connecting me to my parents. Over the years I grew closer to both of them, closer than I had been prior to my parents passing, and at some point I realized that they were just as much my parents as my own had been, so I decided to take their name. They've always treated me just as they've treated Emmett, and I kind of felt like I owed it to them to take their name after all they had done for me over the years, even though they repeatedly tried to assure me that I didn't owe them anything," he responded with a soft smile on his lips.

"What was your last name?" I asked out of pure curiosity.

"Masen," he said as his eyes drifted back down to mine, his smile growing wider.

"What's your middle name?"

"Anthony," he said with a slight cringe.

"What's with the face?" I chuckled and he laughed.

"I hate it. Kids in school that knew it would call me Tony...I couldn't stand it," he said and I laughed.

"That's like me with Isabella...God I hate that name," I grimaced and he chuckled.

"I think it's beautiful," he said as he kissed my temple.

"Oh yeah? Well I think Anthony is cute," I retorted, fighting back a goofy grin as he pursed his lips at me.

"Okay...new subject," he chuckled and I laughed. "What's your favorite flower?"

I quirked an eyebrow at him and he chuckled as he toyed with one of my hands. "Come on...I wanna know"

"Calla Lilies," I said and tried to think of something to ask him.

"When is your birthday?" I asked, feeling retarded with our high school rendition of getting to know you.

"June 20th, the day you guys came in," he chuckled.

"I wish I would have known...happy belated birthday," I said as I pouted.

"Best birthday ever...it was the day I met you," he said and I melted. "When is yours?"

"September 13th, you have a few months yet," I chuckled.

"Okay, I realize this is a bit late...but how old are you?" he asked and I laughed.

"Twenty four... don't worry, I'm not jail bait," I chuckled and he laughed.

"I knew that much when you told me your first book was published when you were eighteen," he replied and I nodded, amazed that he remembered that.

"What did you want to be as a kid when you grew up?" I asked when the thought popped in my head.

"A concert pianist," he chuckled. "When I was a kid, my passion for playing piano rivaled my mother's and she encouraged my dreams by involving me in a local after school musical program with other child prodigies, as they called them. I loved playing at the recitals and seeing the pride beaming from my parents in the audience each time. I stopped playing for a while after they passed. I blamed their death on my passion for playing. It took years for me to be able to touch a piano again," he said and the slight melancholy in his tone broke my heart.

"You know it wasn't your fault, right?" I asked sadly and he nodded.

"Yeah...I know that now. It was just hard for me to come to terms with it as a kid," he said and I smiled sadly as I caressed the side of his face.

"Was there ever anything other than writing that you wanted to do?" he asked.

"Yeah...when I was really little I wanted to be a marine biologist. I gave that up quickly after I was brutally attacked by a crab in a tide pool," I chuckled and his silent laughter shook the bed.

"Mean ass crab pinched my toe and wouldn't let it go," I grumbled and he laughed even harder.

"What'd you do to it?" he chuckled and I smirked.

"My dad pried it off of me and then we cooked it and I ate it," I laughed and he cracked up.

"Poor crab," he snickered.

"Poor crab my ass...he tasted good. Stupid bugger left a scar on my toe...look," I said as I pulled my leg out of the blankets. I'm not even sure he could see the faint scar on my baby toe with how hard he was laughing, but I loved the way it sounded. I tucked my leg back in the blanket and smiled at him as his laughter started to die down.

"Please tell me you don't eat every animal that attempts to hurt you," he chuckled and I shook my head.

"No...this one time my parents thought it would be a good idea to send me to summer camp. They sent me to horse back riding camp, ignoring my protests of being afraid of getting hurt, and the first day there a horse kicked me and dislocated my knee. I didn't eat it," I said as I grimaced and he laughed as he shook his head.

"Why do I think you have an endless supply of stories like this from your childhood?" he chuckled and I shrugged.

"Probably because I do...just wait until I can whip out the home videos...you'll probably die of laughter," I replied and he pulled my hand to his face to kiss my palm.

"You're probably right...I don't think I've ever laughed as much in my entire life as I have since I met you," he said and I smiled at him just as we heard a loud thud below us.

"What was that?" I asked as I sat up in bed and Edward laughed.

"That would be Emmett telling us to shut up by throwing his football against his ceiling," he chuckled and.

"Oops," I muttered as I flinched. He rolled over and turned off the lamp and tugged on my arm to pull me down to him.

"We probably should get some sleep. Emmett likes to hit the water early for fishing," he said and I nodded as I snuggled up against him. I tilted my head up and gave him a series of pecks before resting my head against his chest.

"I love you. Goodnight, Edward."

"I love you more...sweet dreams, my Bella."

I snickered lightly, forcing myself not to retort by saying "impossible" because it would only keep us up and start us down a road that either led to our laughter or cries of passion echoing throughout the room. I closed my eyes and sighed happily as his fingers gently ran through my hair just as he began humming something lightly. Whatever it was, it soothed me instantly and sleep found me quickly.

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**AN: Reviews make me feel better than cough syrup, Mucinex, and Excedrine combined. So a reader from over at Twilighted made an awesome banner for this story...seriously I thought it was awesome for someone to do something like that. I'm probably going to start a thread over at the Twilighted Forums under the AU-Human Forum for this story and display both their banner as well as the one I had already made for this story. Keep your eyes out for it if you're interested, and by all means come and play on the thread when it's up. I seriously spend half my time being bored out of my wits and trolling through the forums. I might even post random teasers for upcoming chapters on there if enough people visit it. Thanks so much for all the support so far. You guys have been amazing! ~Jersey~**


	13. My Friends Larry Moe & Curly

**AN: Okay so I was totally hog tied and threatened within an inch of my life for this chapter by my co-author on a new story that we're working on. Thank her for this update because I was seriously zoned out and focused on the other story. Whoops. Prepare for the cheese people!**

**HUGE shoutout to my homeslice Lovebugkiss for making some awesome freaking banners for this story and posting them over on the Twilighted forum thread for this story. Go check em out...they're in the AU-Human forum section. Much love to ya chickadee! **

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Disclaimer: I don't own them...we know who does

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My Friends Larry, Moe, and Curly

BPOV

Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that when Edward said Emmett liked to get an early start when going fishing, did he mean we would be waking up before the damn sun had even risen. To say that I was disgruntled as Edward dragged me from the bed, was a _severe _understatement. Had it been anyone other than him that was laughing as I clung myself to the sheets and blankets, I probably would have beat them to a bloody pulp with a pillow. I realize how highly unlikely that outcome would be, but I sure as hell would have tried.

After a long hot shower, and Edward's blissful hands and lips, I managed to regain part of the happiness that I had gone to sleep feeling consumed by. It didn't however help the fact that my eyelids were still drooping and closing at their own free will, feeling like they were being weighed down by cinder blocks as Edward led me through the house. I think I even managed to eat breakfast with my eyes closed through the majority of it, not even caring about the laughter surrounding me in response to my all too apparent drowsiness.

As soon as we were all loaded up into the truck, I curled up against Edward's side and fell asleep for the short duration of the ride to wherever the hell Emmett was taking us. How Edward didn't seem tired after all of our exertion and lack of sleep was beyond me. He seemed to be as bright and cheery as ever, though I wondered how much of that outwardly cheer was a front as I caught a few glimpses of his eyes filled with worry before he masked it completely during breakfast.

"Here Bells...I grabbed you a cappuccino from the buffet," Alice said as she handed me a paper cup with a lid. I smiled gratefully and tried to force my eyes to stay open as we stood on the dock, waiting for the guys to get the boat from the marina. I couldn't have even told you where the marina was as I hadn't seen it since we had arrived.

"Can someone please tell me why it's necessary to be up so damn early?" I grumbled as I suppressed yet another yawn. Alice and Rose chuckled lightly as they rubbed my back.

"Apparently the fish are hungrier in the early morning than in the afternoon," Rose replied and I nodded slightly as I took a sip of my drink. Hopefully the caffeine would kick in relatively soon.

"Oh my God...there's no way that's them!" Alice shrieked and my eyes flew open.

"Holy hell! That's not a _boat_, that's a freakin' _yacht_!" Rose cried out and I laughed hysterically for absolutely no reason. I think my lack of sleep had made me slightly insane as I bent over, guffawing loudly and spilling my drink everywhere while I shook with laughter.

"What's so funny?" Rose asked, a smile tugging on her lips as I stood up straight and wiped at my eyes.

"You said it the first day we were here," I chuckled, trying to keep myself from guffawing loudly again. "They don't do anything small around here."

"I did say that, didn't I?" she chuckled as the boat slowly came closer to the dock.

"Ahoy ladies!" Emmett bellowed from the very top of the very large boat. It had to have been close to forty feet long for crying out loud. I waved up at him as Rosalie and Alice yelled back to him.

When he had it maneuvered up to the dock, Jasper and Edward tossed lines over the side and hopped out. I was sincerely hoping there were steps or something to help us get on board this thing, because there was at least a three foot distance between the side of the boat and the dock. Emmett climbed down from the tower, leaving the engines running and hooked up a ramp to the side, to which I breathed a sigh of relief, as Edward and Jasper tied the lines tight so the boat wouldn't drift away from the dock.

"Are you ready, my Bella?" Edward asked. I smiled and nodded to him as he led me up the ramp. Alice and Rosalie were already on board, checking out the cabin and squealing like little kids.

"Whose boat is this?" I asked curiously as Edward hopped into the boat and held out his arms to help me in so I wouldn't have to jump down.

"It's Emmett's. He bought it after his divorce and lived in it for a while, hence the name of the boat," he chuckled.

"What'd he name it?" I asked, not having seen the name at the back of it.

"Empty Pockets," he chuckled and I cracked up.

"Emmett, why in the hell did you name this boat Empty Pockets?" I asked as he came out of the cabin and grinned at me.

"Because after the divorce and buying this boat, I seriously did have some empty pockets," he chuckled and I laughed.

"Come on, I'll give you a tour," Edward said and I nodded as Emmett climbed the ladder back up to the tower as Jasper hopped back over the side of the boat to untie the lines and disconnect the ramp.

He gave me the full tour, and the inside cabin was beyond amazing. There was a sitting area just inside the doors with a wrap around sectional couch and a giant TV across from it. A small kitchen with counters and stools beneath it was just beyond the sitting room with a hallway that led toward the front of the boat. The bathroom was small, but functional with a shower, sink, and toilet, and just beyond that was two bedrooms. A master suite with a bed that took up the majority of the room, and a second one that had bunk beds attached to the side wall.

"This is where Jasper and I sleep when we go out on sport fishing excursions," Edward said and I smiled up at him. I liked that his family was so close that they enjoyed times like that with each other. I'm sure they had a much better time together than I had ever had on family vacations with my parents.

"Edward, grab those folding chairs from Emmett's closet, will ya?" Jasper called and Edward yelled back to him as he made his way back into the master suite. I carried two of them for him as we made our way back out to the deck where Jasper was setting up giant fishing poles and placing them in holders at the back of the boat.

"What are you guys planning on catching? Giant squid or something?" I asked as I looked at the massive size of the poles. They were nothing like the ones I had seen Charlie use when he went fishing with Billy or the guys from the station.

"Hoping for some marlin or tuna. They put up a good fight," Jasper said as he shot me a lazy grin.

"Yeah...how about a stick with some string and a simple hook? Got one of those for me? I'm not getting pulled into the water by a pissed off fish," I chuckled and they laughed.

"No sticks and string, but we do have some smaller poles if you all want them. You can fish for flounder or sea bass with them," he said and I nodded.

"OYE! How's about a little warning up there!" I yelled up to Emmett after stumbling forward when he took off.

His booming laughter and apology mixed in with all of our laughter down below as Edward set up two chairs for us. Rosalie climbed up the ladder and went to sit with Emmett, and Jasper and Alice sat in the two swivel chairs attached to the deck. They somewhat reminded me of the chairs of doom in the salons that Alice had dragged me to over the years. Thankfully, the sun had risen, and the warmth felt amazing on my skin. I ended up shedding my top, and sat in my bikini top and shorts as Emmett brought us further and further out to sea.

"Man, when was the last time we did this?" Jasper asked, looking at Edward.

"Probably two years ago. We didn't get a chance to last year with all the craziness at the resort and Emmett having to leave early to head back up to Seattle," Edward replied, looking as though he was fully enjoying being out on the open water.

"DOLPHINS! ALI, BELLS! LOOK!" Rosalie hollered as she pointed off to the side of the boat. Alice and I jumped out of our chairs and ran to the side of the boat as Jasper and Edward laughed from where they sat.

"Aww...they're so cute," Alice crooned as we watched them weave through the water right next to the side of the boat. I smiled happily down at the three of them swimming together in perfect unison.

"You guys wanna see something cool?" Edward asked and I nodded.

"EM! STOP THE BOAT!" he yelled and Emmett slowed the boat to a stop as Edward disappeared inside the cabin. He came back out just as Emmett cut the engines, toting two empty soda bottles tied together with rope and I looked at him curiously.

"Just watch," he said as he unlocked and opened a section of the back of the boat and stepped down onto the platform. He tossed the bottles out into the water and I crossed the boat to lean on the back ledge and watch. The dolphins took off and one of them grabbed a hold of the rope and swam back to the boat with the bottles, letting them go right near the edge of the platform.

"How did you know they would do that?" I asked in complete awe.

"I was out here fishing one day, and they had followed me all day long. At one point I had knocked my vest over the side and one of them brought it back. I think it thought it was a game, so I tied up two bottles and started throwing them out into the water for them," he said and I swear I swooned.

_My marine man..._

"It's always the same three that follow us everywhere. We even named them Larry, Moe, and Curly," he chuckled and I laughed.

"Why would you name them that?" Alice asked as she giggled.

"Jasper, grab some of the bait fish. They have to see this," Edward called out and Jasper took off inside the cabin. He came back out a minute later holding a bag of nasty looking fish and grinning wide.

"Emmett said that one sounds like Curly when he laughs," he said as he took a fish from the bag and dangled it in the air. The one he pointed to let out this hilarious sound that honest to God sounded just like Curly's laugh and had us cracking up as he rose out of the water, begging for the fish. Edward laughed and tossed it to him before grabbing two more out of the bag and tossing them to the other two.

"I can't believe that...that's hilarious," I chuckled as I stepped down on the platform with him.

"Wanna feed them one?" he asked as he took the bag from Jasper. I nodded and slipped my hand into the bag and pulled a few of the small fish out and tossed them one at a time to them.

"Can I toss them the bottles?" Alice asked excitedly. Edward nodded as he bent down to grab a hold of the bottles to hand them to her. I was surprised with the distance that she managed to launch them and smiled as the three of them took off towards the bottles.

"Do they ever let you touch em?!" Rosalie hollered down from the tower. I turned around and looked up to see her with a camera in hand, snapping pictures of all of us down below.

"We've gotten in the water with them a few times, they come pretty close but not really close enough to touch them!" Jasper hollered back just as Curly came back up to the back of the boat with the bottles, Moe and Larry following close behind him. I bent down to pick up the bottles and nearly shrieked when Curly bumped my hand with his nose.

"Holy shit...I think he wants you to pet him," Edward said as he knelt down next to me. My heart pounding in my chest as he swished his hand in the water. I chuckled breathlessly as Curly swished his head back and forth.

"Stick your hand in the water, see what he does," he said softly and I eyed him warily.

"If I get bit I'm whoopin' your ass," I warned, only half joking as I hesitantly put my hand in the water and swooshed it around gently. My breath caught in my throat as Curly came forward and nudged his head under my held out hand. I always thought they would feel slimy, but he actually felt kind of rubbery.

"Bella, don't move...I want this on film!" Rosalie cried out excitedly.

"Hey, boy," I chuckled as I rubbed him gently. He let out his little Curly laugh and I laughed along with everyone else.

"Traitor...She fed you one fish, I've fed you hundreds," Edward grumbled and I chuckled as Curly sprayed water at him.

"She's mine you know," Edward said as he pointed at him and I laughed as I swatted him with my other hand, earning another Curly-esque laughing sound from him.

"Looks like your luck with animals is changing," he chuckled as Larry and Moe came forward, chattering away at me. I held my other hand out and one of them bumped it and slid under it.

"Looks like you should have stuck with that marine biology dream of yours," he said as Alice knelt down next to me and put her hand into the water.

"I wanna touch one so bad," she said quietly, and I was surprised that she was managing to keep herself calm and not scaring them away with her usual hyper personality.

"Shake your hand around gently, maybe Moe will come up to you," Jasper said as he crouched down behind her. She did so and he hesitantly came forward to her hand. I could see the effort she was putting forth not to squeal loudly and frighten him.

"He feels like rubber," she said quietly as her nose scrunched up and I chuckled.

"I thought the same thing," I said as I patted their heads lightly and withdrew my hands. They both chattered away and spit water at me.

"Hey!" I chuckled as I splashed water back at them and they chattered some more. Jasper bent forward, trying to touch Moe, but he sprayed water at him and backed away, causing all of us to laugh.

"What the hell...how come they can touch them but we can't?" he whined as we continued to laugh.

"Face it, man...all they want from us is food," Edward said as he shook his head.

"I wanna try," Rose said as she handed off the camera to Emmett and stepped down onto the platform. I scooted over to make room for her as she knelt down and leaned forward to put her hand in the water. Larry came up and bumped her hand and she smiled from ear to ear as she gently ran her hand over his head.

"This is bullshit," Emmett muttered as he shook his head.

"Aww... you're just jealous that they like us better," Rosalie said through her smile.

"Damn right I am, we've spent years feeding and playing with them, and they see you three for a few minutes and want you to pet them. Bullshit," he grumbled and we laughed.

"Do we have any more bottles?" I asked and Edward nodded as he stood from the platform.

He came back out a few minutes later, carrying two more sets of bottles, and handed them off to Alice and Rosalie as I took the one from the platform and we stood to throw them. As soon as they were in the air, all three of them took off to fetch them.

"I want pictures of all of this Emmett," Rosalie said as she smiled excitedly at him.

"I'm on it," he chuckled as he nodded and sat on the corner of the back ledge of the boat.

All three of them came back with the bottles, Curly to me, Moe to Alice, and Larry to Rose. We tossed them a fish each and threw the bottles back out for them. They seemed to be enjoying themselves thoroughly each time they came back and begged for another fish as they rose out of the water and chattered as they moved backwards, looking like they were dancing through the water.

I had never experienced anything like it before. Swimming with the dolphins in Jamaica the time we had gone didn't even come close to what we were experiencing. Those dolphins just performed tricks in the water at the trainers cues. They hadn't even let us touch them. And to think these were wild animals. We petted them a few more times before we brought the bottles back into the boat and closed the latch at the back of the boat. They continued to follow us as Emmett returned to navigating us to our destination.

"We're gonna troll for a bit, do you want to try?" Edward asked as he started preparing a pole.

"What's trolling?" I asked.

"It's when we drag our lines through the water and wait for something to hook onto it," he said and I shook my head.

"My luck I'd land a great white and get pulled overboard," I chuckled and he laughed as he nodded.

He and Jasper got their poles ready and after casting out, where Alice and I hid inside the cabin just to be safe, they settled the poles into holders on the chairs and sat down in them. Alice and I walked back out and sat in their laps as we joined them to wait. Jasper and Edward talked animatedly with each other about fish for a long while as Alice and I just soaked up the rays of sunshine from our spots in their laps.

"You've never hooked one of the three stooges, have you?" I asked worriedly as the thought popped in my head, knowing they were still swimming beside the boat. He chuckled and shook his head.

"No, but they like to steal the small fish that we catch sometimes. Pisses Emmett off something wicked," he replied and Alice and I laughed. Conversation between the four of us faded, leaving us to the sounds of the boat, water, breeze, and the faint sound of Emmett's satellite radio as we basked in the sunshine.

"Bells, I'm starting to roast...we should put some more sunblock on," Alice said after an extended period. I nodded as I got up to follow her inside, and gave Edward a quick kiss before entering the cabin.

We had only been inside a few minutes when we heard Edward yell and we went running back out onto the deck to see him with his pole secured in the holder between his legs. Emmett slowed the boat and killed the engine as Edward struggled to start reeling the line in as the pole damn near bent in half each time he pulled back on it, with Jasper cheering him on beside him.

Rosalie and Emmett came hauling ass down the ladder, Rosalie with camera in hand and ready to start snapping thousands of pictures as Emmett joined Jasper in his cheering. I would have cheered, but I was too busy ogling the way Edward's muscles strained and flexed with all the effort he was putting forth. After a few minutes, he was sweating up something fierce, and it only made him look that much more delicious.

"Good God...what is that?" Alice squeaked as something hurled itself out of the water. I missed it because of my ogling.

"Sailfish...putting up one hell of a fight too," Emmett said as he grinned widely. You could tell he was wishing he was the one reeling it in.

"What are you guys going to do with it?" Rosalie asked as Emmett stepped forward to help Edward.

"Unhook it and let it go. Listen, when it gets closer I want all of you to either go in the cabin or head up to the tower. They can get pretty dangerous when they come out of the water," Jasper said and we all nodded as we started to make our way to the ladder. At least from up there, Rose could get great pictures and we could see everything as it was happening.

I watched on from above, completely entranced by all of it. I had only ever seen something like it on some of the fishing shows that Charlie would watch occasionally. He would probably be in his glory if he had gotten to experience something like that.

When they finally got it on board, I realized what Jasper was talking about. It had a long, spear like bill in the front, and it could easily hurt someone with the way it was thrashing about. Luckily, it seemed that the three of them were experienced enough to know how to handle it as they worked to unhook it from the platform on the back of the boat. Rosalie managed to get a picture of the three of them holding it before they carefully released it back into the water.

"Bro, that was awesome. We haven't caught one that big in years!" Emmett boomed excitedly as they did some male version of a one armed hug.

"He had to be what? Six feet give or take?" Jasper said as Edward tended to his pole.

"At least man. He was a heavy one too, fought up a damn storm. I almost didn't think I'd be able to reel his ass in," he chuckled as he tossed his pole back into its holder at the back. We all climbed back down to the deck and I wrapped my arms around his waist.

"That was amazing," I said as I leaned up to kiss his lips as he smiled brightly at me. He hummed as he pecked my lips three more times and then lifted his head to look at everyone else.

"You guys wanna drop some lines for a bit? See if we can catch some dinner?" he asked and Alice and Rosalie nodded excitedly. I just laughed cause I never would have imagined them being excited over fishing of all things.

"I'm gonna make some margaritas while you guys get the poles ready," Jasper said as he walked inside the cabin.

"Alright master fisherman...school me, because I have no idea what I'm doing," I chuckled and Edward laughed.

"I would teach you how to cast, but I really don't want an ear piercing, and I'm sure no one else would enjoy being hooked and reeled in," he laughed and I swatted at him.

"Let's get some bait on your hook and then we'll just drop the line in the water," he said and I nodded. He came back with a container of some slimy looking white strips and I scrunched my face at him.

"What's that?"

"Squid...flounder and sea bass love it," he said and I shook my head and grimaced as I caught a whiff of the container's contents. He put the bait on the hook and dropped the line over the side of the boat.

"Okay, come here and hold onto the pole," he said and I did.

"Put your thumb here and keep just a little bit of pressure on it so the line doesn't get all tangled as the spool runs," he said and I nodded, placing my thumb over the line on the spool as he flicked a lever and the line started to unravel.

"When it stops unraveling, flick this lever back and then just pull up on the pole occasionally to entice the fish," he said and I nodded. Shortly after, it seemed like the line was done running so I flicked the lever and sat down in my folding chair with my pole in hand, Alice and Rosalie on either side of me with their poles.

"I bet the only thing I catch is a boot or a license plate," I joked and they laughed as they bobbed their poles.

"Here, love," Edward said as he handed me a plastic cup filled with my margarita, and handed one to both Rosalie and Alice. "I'll be back in a few minutes, we're gonna set up some crab traps on the other side."

"Thanks," I said as I tilted my head up and puckered my lips for a kiss. He chuckled and bent down to press his lips against mine before heading over to Emmett and Jasper.

"I think we're going to have to join them for summers out here," Rosalie said suddenly and I lifted my head from where I had been resting it and basking in the sunshine.

"That'd be easy for me to do, but could you leave the garage for that long every year?" I asked as I shielded my eyes from the sun so I could see her clearly.

"It shouldn't be too hard. I barely do any of the work anymore as it is, I just run the place nowadays. As long as I keep in constant contact with them there and make sure everything is running smoothly, it shouldn't be a big deal," she said as she shrugged.

"What about your studio, Alice?" I asked and she pursed her lips as she thought it through.

"I should be able to manage it. I can always use the time here to work on sketches and ideas that I can put together when I get back," she said and I nodded as I pulled back on my pole slightly.

"I'd like to be able to bring Charlie and Renee here," I sighed. "He'd love this."

"Just make sure you get them separate villas for all the guests' sakes," Alice chuckled and I laughed.

"I'll keep that in mind," I chuckled as I raised my cup to my lips. Something tugged on my line and startled me, and I ended up getting margarita up my nose...which burned like hell.

"Oww...oh shit...what do I do?" I panicked as I stood from my chair. "Edward!"

"What?" he asked worriedly as he came up behind me.

"Something's tugging on the line...what the hell do I do?" I asked and he laughed.

"Reel it in, Bella," he chuckled as he took my drink from my hand.

"Which way do I twist this thing?" I asked moving it both ways and they all laughed as I got flustered.

"Clockwise," he laughed and I turned the pole sideways to see which way that was before I started turning it again.

"It's probably a shoe," I laughed as Rose and Alice bent over the side to see what would come out of the water. Thank God whatever it was wasn't putting up much of a fight, and my chances of being pulled overboard were slim to none.

"Eww...it's ugly. It has two eyes on one side of its head," Alice laughed as Edward stepped between us with a net.

"It's a flounder, good sized one too," Edward said as he pulled it on board.

"Way to go baby girl! You caught dinner!" Emmett crowed as he ruffled my hair. I laughed as I tried to smooth it back out.

"That's one ugly mug," Rosalie laughed as she bent down to look at it. Emmett picked it up by its gills and walked over to a chest filled with ice and tossed it in.

"Five more like that one and we're lookin' at a good meal," Jasper said as he baited my hook again.

I went to go drop my line back in the water, but it felt like I had something crawling on my leg and I wigged out. I went to swat at it, and the line swung back at me from having jerked the pole around, and I ended up hooking myself in the arm like an idiot.

"OW! HOOK! WHAT'S ON MY LEG?!" I wailed as I stomped my feet and dropped the pole, trying to figure out which was more important at the moment, the hook in my arm or whatever was on my leg.

"Oh shit," Rose laughed as she put her pole down.

"ROSE ALICE! WHAT'S ON MY LEG?!" I shrieked as I felt that tickling sensation again against the back of my knee.

"Hold still!" she yelled and I tried to stop panicking long enough for her to see what it was as Edward came running over.

"Bella...my God, what did you do?" he muttered frantically as he took a hold of my arm and tears of pain and fear rolled from my eyes.

"I hooked my arm when I tried to swat something on my leg," I whimpered.

"Jesus, Bella...it was a sweat droplet," Rose said as she used her shirt to wipe it off, and left me feeling like a complete jackass with a baited hook hanging off my arm.

"I'm done fishing," I sniffled as Edward tried to suppress his laughter as he tended to the hook in my arm.

"Deep breath, honey. I'm gonna pull it out," he said and I took a deep breath and held it as I shifted my footing nervously.

"OW! SON OF A!" I wailed as he pulled it out of my arm.

"Sorry baby," he said as he pulled me toward him. "Let's go wash it out."

I nodded and sniffled as I followed behind him into the cabin, leaving everyone behind us stifling their amusement as best they could. He led me over to the sink and pulled a first aid kit out of one of the cabinets.

"When was the last time you had a tetanus shot?" he asked.

"Um...when I had the motorcycle accident a few years ago," I replied and he nodded as he gently washed the puncture wound.

"I told you I'd end up hooking myself," I grumbled and he chuckled.

"That you did, love. At least it wasn't your ear though," he said as he shut the water off and dried my arm off. He put some ointment on it and covered it with a band-aid and kissed it.

"You okay?" he asked as he cupped my cheek. I smiled slightly and nodded. It really could have been a lot worse. He bent down and pressed his lips against mine. I sighed and tilted my head to the side as my hands came up to thread into his hair and he pushed me up against the counter.

"HEY! NO NOOKIE ON MY BOAT!" Emmett boomed and I broke away from Edward's lips as we laughed.

"You ready to go back out?" he asked and I nodded as I linked my hand with his and we made our way back out of the cabin.

"You okay baby girl?" Emmett asked as they all looked up at me.

"I'm fine," I said as I scrunched up my face.

"Are you really done fishing?" Edward asked and I nodded.

"Yup...no more stinky hooks for me. I caught our dinner, I'm done," I laughed and he chuckled as he nodded.

"I'm gonna go play with Larry, Moe, and Curly," I said as I leaned up to kiss him quickly.

"Damn traitorous dolphins," he muttered and I laughed as I swatted him and walked to the back of the boat.

I took my shorts off and sat down on the platform, dangling my legs in the water as I shook my hand in it. Curly came right up to me and I smiled down at him as Moe and Larry swam around the immediate area near us.

"Hey buddy," I cooed as I ran my hand over his head. He chattered and ducked under the water, coming up under my feet and raising them out of the water on his back. I chuckled as I padded my feet lightly across his back.

"Does that feel good?" I laughed as he chattered some more, cracking me up with the way it sounded. He ducked back under the water and I pulled my legs up onto the platform so I could lean forward and try to pet Larry and Moe as they approached the back of the boat.

"Whoa! Watch out! Runaway crab!" Edward yelled and I turned just in time to see the creepy bugger slide out the back latch that I had left open and scurry toward me. I screamed and slipped as I tried to get up, falling straight into the water.

"BELLA!" I heard all of them yell as I resurfaced and choked out some water.

"I'm fine...I'm fine," I called out as I treaded in the water. I had forgotten all about Larry, Moe, and Curly until I felt one of them brush past my leg and started to panic. I wasn't sure how nice they would be after I startled them by falling in the water.

"Edward," I whimpered as he jumped over the side of the boat and onto the platform.

"It's okay, Bella. They won't hurt you," he said as he held his arms out toward me.

"OH MY GOD ONE OF THEM JUST GOOSED ME!" I shrieked and he laughed just as Curly popped out of the water and chattered, sounding like he was laughing at me as well.

"Bad dolphin," I chuckled as he slowly swam toward me. I reached out and ran my hand along his back as he swam by me. Edward slid into the water and swam toward me. We waited for one of them to swim by us again, and Edward held his hand out as Curly approached us. I laughed hysterically when he sprayed water in his face and swam away.

"CURLY!" he laughed as he hollered and Curly chattered as he popped his head out of the water.

"No more fish for you," he muttered as he pursed his lips at him. I chuckled as he blew air out of his blow hole, it sounded like he was scoffing at him.

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT MOE!" Emmett hollered and I looked up toward him. He was leaning over the side of the boat next to Rosalie who was reeling something in on her line as she laughed.

"Moe's gonna steal the fish," Edward chuckled as I watched Larry and Curly swim around the side of the boat to join him.

"DAMNIT MOE! Catch your own fish!" Emmett yelled and I cracked up as we swam toward the platform. We climbed back up onto it and I sat with my legs in the water again, waiting for them to come back. Curly came back first, coming up under my feet again.

"My buddy...are you guys misbehaving?" I chuckled as I padded my feet across his back.

"He seems quite fond of you," Edward chuckled from behind me.

"I'm pretty smitten with him too," I laughed.

"As long as I don't get replaced by a porpoise," he laughed and I scoffed.

"Like that would ever happen," I chuckled as Curly rolled and I leaned forward to pat his belly.

"Ya never know...he seems hell bent on winning you over," he said and I looked up to see him grinning crookedly down at me.

"There's no competition. He's adorable, but you're perfect," I said as I grinned back at him.

"Are you thirsty or anything?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, can I have my margarita?" I asked.

"I'll make you a fresh one, the ice in that one melted and it's all watered down," he said as he pulled away from the ledge.

A few minutes later he came back out and handed me a fresh glass. I thanked him and set it down next to me after taking a few sips. He said he was going to try and catch a few fish and I blew him a kiss before turning my attention back to Larry, Moe and Curly...mostly Curly.

I ended up laying down on the platform as everyone fished, leaving my arm dangling in the water as they each took turns swimming under it and brushing against my hand. Once in a while one of them would pop their heads out of the water and chatter as they splashed me with water and I'd laugh as I splashed back at them.

At some point, Alice came out and joined me, mirroring my position on the other end of the platform and she giggled whenever one of them brushed against her. Thankfully there were no more runaway crabs each time they pulled the traps out of the water. Jasper and Edward took turns bringing us fresh refills on our drinks, and after about the third one I was officially tipsy.

"Edward," I giggled. "I have to pee!"

"So go pee!" he laughed from somewhere on the deck.

"I'm tipsy! If I get up I'll fall overboard and drown!" I laughed and Alice cracked up, her uneven laughter making me aware that she was also pretty lit.

"I'm coming, hold on," he said and I giggled as I kicked Alice's foot.

"Do you have to go?" I asked and she nodded as she tried to sit up.

"Whoa...how much tequila did they put in those drinks?" she chuckled and I laughed as I rolled to the side and tried to right myself.

"Gimme your hands," Edward chuckled as he held out a hand for both Alice and I. We latched on and he pulled us up and made sure we were on the deck safely before bending down to pick up our cups and shutting the latch behind him. We stumbled across the deck and into the cabin, heading for the bathroom. I went in first and then rummaged through the fridge in the kitchen while I waited for her to come out.

"What are you doing?" she asked and I jumped about three feet in the air, clutching at my chest.

"Shit you scared me!" I squeaked and she laughed.

"I'm hungry. I was looking for something to eat," I said after taking a few calming breaths.

"Ooh...we packed some chicken salad this morning, see if it's in there," she said as she rummaged through the cabinets for something. I found the container in the fridge and pulled it out, and set it on the counter after shutting the door.

"Crap...I can't reach the bread," she giggled as she tried to climb up onto the counter.

"Be careful, Ali," I chuckled as I tried to keep a hand on her in case she fell. Not that it would do any good in my state.

"Gotcha," she laughed and climbed back down with the loaf of bread and a bag of chips.

"Think they're all hungry?" she asked and I nodded.

"If we are, I'm sure they are too," I replied.

We piled a bunch of sandwiches onto a plate and filled a bowl with chips before heading back out onto the deck. After eating, Rosalie decided she'd had enough fishing, and she, Alice, and I agreed to check the crab traps every once in a while as they tried to catch more fish for dinner. Every time we pulled the traps up, I made sure my feet were off the ground at out of the way of any pincers of runaway crabs. After one of them got a hold of Alice's finger, the guys had to show us how to pick them up without being subjected to their claws. Would have been nice to have had that tidbit beforehand.

By the time Emmett pulled the anchor, they had caught three more flounder, two huge striped sea bass, and something called a sea robin that I made them throw back because I thought it was pretty and it sang. Edward laughed at my slightly inebriated argument and told me that it wasn't singing, it was croaking. They threw it back anyway which made me happy.

"Do you wanna come lay down with me? It's gonna be about a three hour trip back," Edward said as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. I nodded and turned in his arms from where I had been leaning over the side of the boat, watching the three stooges as they swam next to us. He led us back to the spare room and locked the door before climbing into the small bed next to me.

"When are you guys gonna go on your supply run?" I asked as I snuggled up next to him and he rubbed my back gently.

"I wish we didn't have to go at all, but probably Tuesday or Wednesday. We have to fix that door tomorrow, and we're probably going to get you guys settled in the villa next door. I don't want you guys back in that one," he said and I nodded as I kissed his chin.

"At least that way we don't have to worry about you guys getting bored or starving from the lack of decent food in the house," he said and I chuckled.

"I'm gonna miss you," I whispered as I ran my fingers through his hair.

"I'll miss you too, but I'll be back before you know it. Just promise me you all won't leave the resort unless it's to go to the shops or to visit Aunt Di and Uncle Marcus," he said as he cupped my cheek. I smiled and nodded to him.

"I won't be up for doing much of anything after the last few days and today," I chuckled.

"I still can't believe those damn traitorous dolphins took to the three of you like they'd known you for years and they still won't let us touch them," he grumbled and I laughed.

"I want copies of those pictures of you," he said as he pushed my hair away from my face.

"The way your face glowed when you were petting them took my breath away," he whispered against my lips. I licked my lips in anticipation, waiting for him to close that final minimal distance. When he finally did, the instant spark of passion that only he could ignite in me, lit the fires that had raced through my veins the night before, licking and scorching me as they spread through me.

I hooked my leg over his hip as one of his hands tangled into my hair and his other traveled down my back, coming to a rest on my ass and squeezing as he groaned. Apparently I wasn't the only one that had issues with raging internal infernos as he rolled and centered us on the small bed. His hands immediately came to the back of my bikini, and with one deft tug, it came undone and I broke away from his lips just enough so that he could pull it over my head and toss it aside.

I slid down his body, kissing and licking my way down as I tugged at his swim trunks, crawling back up to straddle him after tossing them aside. He bucked his hips against me as he pulled at the strings on my bottoms, the ties coming undone instantly, and he pulled them away, dropping them on the floor as he pulled me back down to his lips.

I whimpered as I felt him line himself up with my entrance before grasping my hips and lowering me, sheathing himself inside me. I broke away from his lips, panting as I scooted back so I could feel more of him inside me as he guided my hips in a grinding motion.

"_Fuck_ ," he groaned as he bucked up at me and his eyes rolled back. "I'll never get over how good you feel...you're fucking perfect," he said, his voice deep and laced with desire as his hands touched every inch of flesh he could reach on me.

"I'll never get enough of you...only you could make me feel this OW! MOTHER OF GOD!" I wailed as I tried to sit up to rock against him harder and slammed my head into the bunk above us.

"Oh my God..." he chuckled as I rubbed my head. "Are you okay?"

"No," I whined, trying not to laugh. "That hurt like hell." He tried not to chuckle as he pulled me back down to him, but I could feel him shaking beneath me.

"Edward, this isn't going to work," I grumbled. "I'll end up with a concussion."

"Yes it will.." he said as he rolled us and I scooted so that I was underneath him. He grabbed one of the pillows from the top of the bed and tapped my hip.

"Lift up for a second," he said and I did. He scooted the pillow beneath my ass and I lowered my hips back down.

"That'll help keep the tender spot on your back off the mattress," he said as he hovered over me.

"I feel like a teenager trying to have sex in a room you share with your brother while he isn't home," I chuckled quietly and he laughed, his breath washing across my neck and causing me to shudder.

"That's actually really funny because Emmett and I had bunk beds in high school. We only used them for gaming nights though." I laughed, trying to imagine the two of them sharing bunk beds.

My laughing quickly ceased as he attached his mouth to my neck and I felt his tongue swirling in circles over my skin. I gasped and wrapped my legs around him as my hands ran down his sides to his hips. I felt his muscles tighten and constrict as I passed over them and he groaned softly against my skin as he rocked his hips against me. He slid into me and I moaned rather loudly as my legs clamped around him, holding him to me tightly.

"Sshh." He chuckled silently as he forced the air through his teeth. "You're going to wake my parents," he said suddenly and I burst out laughing.

"Edwa...ahhh" I started, but he rocked into me and I ended up moaning again, earning yet another shushing sound that had me chuckling momentarily before he rocked into me yet again.

"We really do need to keep it down, love...these walls are incredibly thin," he said quietly against my skin and I nodded as I bit my lip and choked down yet another breathy moan as he kissed his way up my neck and across my jaw.

His thrusts felt deeper with my position and it took everything in me to keep quiet. Each time he thrust into me, he hit that spot deep within me that felt fucking incredible. He locked his eyes on mine as he continued to drive into me, our erratic breaths washing across each others faces. I was trying to hold off my orgasm, wanting to climax together, but it was getting harder by the minute. I wasn't going to be able to hold it off much longer.

"Let it go, baby. I can feel you holding it back," he said breathlessly and it broke free just as his lips crashed down onto mine, muffling the sounds of my moans. Wave after wave of pleasure coursed through me as he continued to pump in and out of me. I was just coming back down to earth when a loud thump against the door startled both of us and his movements came to a sudden halt.

"What the hell was that?" I whispered breathlessly.

"_Oh, Jazz_ ," we heard and I slapped a hand over my mouth as Edward buried his face in the crook of my neck, shaking with silent laughter above me.

"Damnit," Jasper grumbled as he tried to open the door, but it was locked, only making us laugh silently even harder as we heard them stumble a few feet down the hall, knocking into the walls before the door to the master suite slammed shut.

"Emmett's gonna kill him," Edward whispered as he chuckled and my laughter came out as a wheeze. I jumped slightly at what sounded like a shoe hitting the wall behind our heads and looked at Edward with wide eyes.

"They're as bad as we are," I whispered as I laughed silently as we heard their moaning float through the wall.

"At least we won't be hanging off the railing at the front of the boat when he finds out," he chuckled quietly as he started to move within me again.

"How's your back?" he whispered against the skin of my neck.

"A little sore, but nothing too bad," I whispered back as I ran my hands over his back. He withdrew from me and slid off the bed.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Switching positions, lay the other way across the bed," he said as he gestured in front of him. I slid to the middle of the bed and sat at the edge before laying back with my legs dangling off the edge.

"Grab a hold of that bar," he said as he pointed to the wooden plank running against the wall. I wrapped my fingers under it and looked down at him curiously.

"Just hold on to that," he said as he lifted my legs up over his shoulders and slid my hips down and off the bed. I was barely on the bed at all aside from my shoulders and my hands holding onto the wooden plank. I couldn't help but think of how utterly exposed I was to him at that moment, but strangely enough, I couldn't find it in me to care. If anything I rather enjoyed it. The position gave me the perfect view of him as he slid back into me.

I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning as he pounded into me ruthlessly. He kept a firm hold of my hips as I tried to keep my legs balanced on his shoulders, they weren't long enough to fully hook over them. Trying to focus on that was infuriatingly distracting so I bent them instead, gripping his sides with my feet, and leaving me further exposed to him. I watched as his eyes drifted down, taking in the sight of his thrusts into me and if at all possible, I swear I felt him grow even harder within me as he bit back a groan and his head fell backwards.

My fingertips felt like they were digging into the wood with the force that I was gripping it as I fought against every moan and cry that tried to erupt from me. I was steadily approaching my second orgasm, and by the looks of it, he was approaching his first as well.

"Edward, come with me," I whimpered. He grunted as he started pulling my hips against him even harder. His eyes shifting between mine, my bouncing breasts, and where he was pounding into me.

"Fucking perfect," he groaned as he slammed into me, hitting the deepest spot within me and sending me flying over the edge as he spilled himself into me. My arms broke free from holding onto the plank and he pulled me to his chest as I continued to clench and spasm around him, my entire body shaking as I felt him twitch within me.

"I'm so beyond in love with you it isn't even funny," he said softly as he ran his nose across the skin of my neck and shoulder. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face into his neck as a sob inexplicably ripped through my chest.

"Baby, what's wrong? Did I say something wrong?" he asked worriedly as he tilted his head toward mine and wrapped his arms tighter around my back. I shook my head into his neck as I stifled another sob and a tear trailed down from my eye.

"No...you didn't say anything wrong. You said everything right. You're perfect. Everything you say is perfect. It's one of the reasons I'm in love with you too," I replied, wiping the tear away from my face and kissing the edge of his jaw.

"You don't know how happy that makes me, because I don't think I can ever live without you," he whispered as he kissed my shoulder.

"You don't have to. I'll always be with you," I vowed, steeling myself to my resolve that at the end of these few weeks, whether I broke away from everyone I cared about and stayed here with him, or he came with me, one way or the other we were going to be together.

I needed him like I needed air. It was a basal need, and it was one that I couldn't deny no matter how hard I could ever try to. Living without him at this point was just unimaginable and frankly I didn't give a damn to even try to imagine it, because it would only cause my heart to shatter into a million pieces.

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**AN: Okay so this is probably my favorite citrus dropping so far. Don't ask me why because I have no clue. Anyways...before I get a hundred and one (I wish) reviews about how unrealistic this chapter was lemme tell you that the dolphin thing that happened in this chapter actually happened to me when I was about thirteen and I spent my summer on a boat with a friend of the family's family. Yeah that just sounds weird. Anyway...don't ever touch a wild dolphin because you think it may be Larry, Moe, or Curly (those were the names that the family had given the dolphins too). The only reason I EVER stuck my hand in that water, was because the family I was with was POSITIVE that the dolphins wouldn't hurt me. At most they were expected to spray me with water and swim away as they had routinely done to the members of said family over the years. **

**So now here comes the time to laugh. Yes, I hooked myself in the arm with a hook that had a slimy ass piece of squid on it because I thought the sweat droplet on the back of my knee was like a giant vampiric spider or some shit. Yes, I fell off the back of the boat because a crab charged me. Yes, Curly goosed me while I was in the water after falling in when said crab charged me. We did catch a sailfish...and as funny as this is now I really didn't think it was back then...I got slapped in the head with its tail while posing for a picture with it and the family. The whole freaking out because something tugged on the fishing line thing...yeah that was me too. I'd never fished before, the only thing I knew how to bait, set, and reel in was a crab trap at that point in my life. So needless to say...it was a very interesting summer. Last I heard (about 5 years ago before I moved to the midwest from the east coast) Curly and Larry were still around...sadly Moe hadn't been seen for a while. **

**Okay that's enough of my babble. REVIEW!!!! I need my fix like a junkie needs their next hit! ~Jersey~**


	14. Oh Evil Sun Thou Art Thine Enemy

**AN: I'm sorry! ::hides in corner:: I'm still sick and feeling like dook, that's why this chapter is late...well one of the reasons anyway. Blame Lovebugkiss for the rest because she has me totally addicted to writing my odd chapters of Anywhere But Here. Speaking of which...from the way things are moving along, ABH should be getting launched by the end of next week. YAY! From the way we're trying to work things out, you can expect an update in ABH every Tuesday and Thursday, Tuesday being Lovebuggkiss's chapters of either BPOV or JPOV, and Thursday being mine of either EPOV or the very seldom APOV. Once ABH gets launched TOF will be on an alternate schedule. You can expect chapters every Wednesday and Friday, occasionally Mondays if I'm able to cram a chapter out at work over the weekend and type it up when I get home. Either way, we'll be keeping you all loaded up on updates to read. I've rambled quite enough so I'm done now. ENJOY!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, but hot damn do I wish I did!

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Oh Evil Sun...Thou Art Thine Enemy

BPOV

"Bella! Come on! We have to go!" Rosalie yelled up the stairs as I hopped around Edward's bedroom trying to get the rest of my things together.

"I'M COMING!" I yelled back, severely frustrated at the time with how our morning had started.

The night before had been utterly perfect. We had gotten back to the island a little after six in the evening, and spent the majority of the night out on the back deck of their home. Emmett made Jasper cook everyone dinner for having desecrated his master suite on the boat, while the rest of us lounged about in the pool, drinking wine coolers and beer and just enjoying ourselves.

While Jasper was cooking, and Alice, Rosalie, and I were floating around the pool on rafts, Edward and Emmett discussed their options for their supply run. After much debate, it was decided that Edward and Emmett would be making the run together, and Jasper would be staying behind with us. Apparently no amount of our assurances that we would be fine without them could sway their decision on the matter.

Unfortunately, I still hadn't gotten to tour the entire house. The only room aside from the kitchen downstairs that I had seen was their living room, or great room whichever you preferred to call it. The thing should have had a name like echo room or something like that because it was just plain old massive and completely open. The thing that surprised me the most about the room, was there weren't very many photos around, save a few of Emmett and Edward from when they were younger. Most of the room was decorated with canvas paintings and such.

I had asked Edward why his aunt and uncle didn't have more family photos around, and he laughed when he told me that his aunt had removed all of them and surrounded her painting room with them. She liked being able to submerse herself in all of the memories depicted in the photos when she painted. He said he would have brought me up there, but he felt that area was private to his aunt and would rather have her show it to me if she wished. I respected that, simply because I wouldn't want someone invading my privacy that way without me knowing about it at the very least.

By the time we had all decided to turn in for bed, Edward and I were both fairly intoxicated...and completely unable to keep our hands off of one another. I think we actually left a few pieces of clothing on the steps leading from the second to the third level of the house, because when I got dressed the following morning, I couldn't seem to be able to find the shirt I had been wearing after we had gotten out of the pool.

Three rounds, and hours of making love later, we finally collapsed next to each other and passed out, only to be rudely awaken in the morning by Emmett pounding on the door, yelling something about having things that needed to be done. As far as I was concerned, the only thing that needed tending to when I opened my eyes, was Edward's erection that was pressing into my back. Which brings us to the reason that I had been hopping around the room, looking for my stupid shirt, and trying to put a flip flop on my foot at the very same time.

"Where is it?" I grumbled, to no one other than myself. Edward had left to finish packing a few pieces of his clothing that were still in the laundry room.

"Are you looking for something, love?" Edward said and my head snapped up from where I had been looking under his sheet stripped bed to see him standing in the doorway, smirking and holding onto my shirt.

"Yes, where was it?" I chuckled as I got up and walked over to him.

"Hanging on the banister of the stairs," he laughed as he handed it to me and pulled me into his arms.

"How come none of your clothes ended up in the stairwell?" I chuckled as I looked up at him. He bent down and kissed my lips gently before pulling back.

"Because when you threw my shirt, it ended up getting snagged on Emmett's door handle. He handed it back to me this morning," he laughed softly.

"Oh," I said dumbly as I blushed faintly.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked and I nodded as I tossed my shirt over my head and then grabbed my bag off the bed before walking hand in hand down the stairs with him.

"It's about damn time," Rosalie laughed as she held the door leading into the garage open for us.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I grumbled as I walked through and headed toward the back door of the crew cab.

Edward climbed in next to me as I sat next to Jasper. Rosalie and Alice were sitting up front with Emmett as he pulled out of the garage and headed toward the resort. I leaned against Edward as the guys all talked about things they needed to get done around the resort that day. Alice and Rosalie were talking to each other about heading back to the shops the following day. Neither conversation was particularly interesting to me so I closed my eyes.

When we got to the resort, Edward headed up to the front desk and grabbed all four sets of keys for villa number four, the one he and I had stayed in the night I thought I was locked out. When I asked him why he had taken all four sets of keys, he told me he wasn't taking any chances, that the fourth key would be at the house where any one of them could retrieve it should we need it, without having to worry about someone else taking it.

After tossing our overnight bags into our new villa, we all headed off to have some breakfast down at the buffet before the guys got started on their tasks. During breakfast, Alice and Rosalie suggested we relax down on the beach for the day. I told them that we should grab some towels from the villa and head over to an area just down the beach that had hammocks slung between palm trees. I had seen them the night I walked the beach to clear my head. The best part about that area, was that there was a tiki bar not more than ten feet away, which would please them immensely.

"You guys having fun over there?" I called out to the villa next door as I leaned over the railing of our new porch. We had finished moving everything over and I was killing time waiting for Rose and Ali to finish getting ready to head down the beach.

"Loads," Emmett chuckled as he and Edward struggled to remove the broken part of the door frame.

"Just don't bash any of your thumbs with those hammers," I laughed, watching Emmett turn bright red as he pulled on the hammer that was wedged under the wooden plank.

"Did I cement this damn thing in?!" he cried out when it wouldn't budge and Edward and Jasper laughed. He gave one more forceful tug, and it broke free so fast that he went stumbling backwards, crashing right through the porch railing and falling into the sand.

"EMMETT!" I yelled as I ran down the steps and between the villas. Jasper and Edward were bent over laughing hysterically.

"Oh my God! Are you okay?" I cried out as I sank down in the sand next to him as he rolled on his side, letting out a high pitched whimper.

"I'm...fine...baby girl," he said with a strained voice as he tossed his hammer off to the side. I flushed like an idiot when his empty hand went straight to his groin and had to look away as I bit my lip to fight off my chuckles. Poor Emmett caught himself right in the family jewels.

"What the hell was that noi... _Oh shit_! Em are you alright?" Rosalie shrieked as she came flying down the steps and sank down in the sand on his other side.

"I'm fine, baby. I just gave my future children their first ass whooping...that's all," he chuckled breathlessly as he rolled on his back and dropped his head in the sand with a groan.

"Oh man...are you sure you're alright?" Rose chuckled. He sighed and nodded as he started to sit up.

"Emmett, man...how the hell did you manage to do that?" Edward chuckled as he hopped down off the porch and held a hand out to him to help him up.

"It didn't feel like the damn thing was coming loose so I gave it a real hard tug. It would have been fine if I hadn't nailed myself in the treasure chest," he laughed as Edward pulled him up and I finally let my chuckle through.

"We don't need to babysit you guys, do we? We're not going to come back and find this place in a pile of rubble or something, right?" Rosalie chuckled and I laughed. Not only did they have to fix the doorway that Edward had broken while trying to get to me, now they had to fix the porch rail that Emmett had plowed through as well.

"Very funny, babe. I think we're done playing Dukes of Destruction for the day," Emmett chuckled as he dipped his head to kiss her cheek. I stood and wrapped my arm around Edward's waist as he surveyed the damage to the porch.

"Damn, Em...this is gonna be an all day job now," he said as he tore off one of the half broken pieces of the railing.

"Yeah...an all day job for another day, because we don't have the materials to fix it. The best we can do for now is tear that side off," Emmett replied as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"What happened to the porch?" Alice asked as she walked over to us.

"Emmett happened to it," Jasper chuckled as he bent over the railing to give her a kiss and then they spoke quietly to one another.

"You gonna head down to the hammocks now?" Edward asked and I smiled as I looked up at him and nodded.

"Yeah, I figured I'd have another go at this book that I tried reading on the flight here," I said as he started to walk me back over to our new villa.

"Okay, if you need anything you know where I'm at," he said as he bent down for a kiss.

"Just be careful," I said as I pulled away. He chuckled and nodded as he backed away and I bent down to grab my towel and book. He whistled and I started laughing as I turned around and pointed at him.

"You get back to work and stop staring at my ass," I chuckled as he pouted.

"Don't even think about it," I laughed as he looked like he was about to make some kind of potentially embarrassing remark. He grinned widely and started laughing as he shook his head and walked back next door.

"Love you!" he called out.

"Love you more!" I yelled back as I walked down the steps. He tilted his head toward me and winked as he smiled.

Alice, Rosalie and I walked down the beach to the hammocks, and after claiming our three, we made a trip up to the tiki bar. They both got themselves a cocktail, but I wasn't in the mood for one so I got a bottle of water instead. I'd had enough to drink the night before. The palm trees provided perfect shade, and as soon as I had made myself comfortable in the canvas hammock, I opened my book to where I had last left off. Alice was busying herself with a sketchpad, probably drawing out ideas for her winter fashion line since her fall one was already being produced, and Rosalie was sifting her way through a stack of automotive magazines that she had packed away in her suitcase.

At some point during my reading, my eyes started drooping and my built up fatigue caught up with me. I took a quick peek at Alice and Rosalie as I dropped my book down into the sand, and noticed that they appeared to have fallen asleep. Aside from the music coming from the tiki bar, and the distant voices of people milling about around the pool, it was peaceful. I closed my eyes and quickly dozed off, listening to the crashing waves on the shore, and the palm branches blowing in the breeze that was caressing my skin.

"Little one, wake up," Emmett's voice floated into my awareness some time later. "Damn...baby girl, get up honey. You're burnt."

"What?" I mumbled as I squinted my eyes up at him.

"You guys fell asleep on the hammocks. You're burnt to a crisp doll," he said as he crouched down next to the hammock. I lifted my head and looked down, touching my skin gingerly.

"Shit," I grumbled as my head flopped back. "Did they burn too?"

"No...they covered themselves with their towels. It looks like they threw one on you, but you must have knocked it off," he said and I grimaced as I tried to move.

"Perfect," I muttered as I stood and felt the stinging sensation of my tender skin stretching. "This is awesome. Where's Edward?"

"He's taking a quick shower. We were going to see if you all wanted to grab some lunch with us," he said and I nodded as I started taking steps toward a still slumbering Alice as he made his way over to Rosalie.

"Ali...wake up," I said as I shook her shoulder. She mumbled something and I chuckled as I shook her again. "Come on...get up. We're going to get lunch."

"I'm up, I'm up," she said as she squinted up at me.

"Bella..." she said as her eyebrows furrowed and she rolled toward me, pulling the side of my bikini bottoms down minimally. "Oh jeez, that's gonna hurt like the devil."

"Figured as much when I stood up," I said as she sat up and started to stand from the hammock.

"What happened to the towel I covered you with?" she asked as she took a closer look at my reddened skin.

"I think I kicked it off or something," I said as I tried to figure out how much of me was actually burnt. So far it looked like it was just my thighs and most of my belly. The palm branches must have still been shading my chest, face, and calves because they seemed fine.

"It shouldn't be too bad after a day or two, especially since you've gotten a lot of color over the last few days," she said as she stood. I nodded and I cringed while pulling my shorts over my thighs.

"Damn Bells...I can feel the heat radiating from you from here," Rosalie said as we sat down at the table after making our trip through the buffet.

"I know...I'll be cryin' later," I chuckled as I speared a piece of fruit from my plate. My thighs were on fire and I was cringing and squirming in my seat trying to find a comfortable position when Edward and Jasper walked up to the table.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked as he sat down next to me.

"Sunburn," I grumbled as I scrunched up my face.

"Lemme see," he said as he pushed his chair back from the table. I turned toward him and he hissed as his hand hovered over my heated skin.

"Emmett...gimme your phone," he said quickly as he held out his hand. Emmett handed it to him and he quickly flipped it open and dialed a number.

"Hi Kate, is Aunt Di around?" he said after a few moments as he tucked my hair behind my ear.

"Hey Aunt Di...no everything is fine... yeah... no she's fine... yeah we did... I know," he said as I watched and listened. Every few moments he would chew on the inside of his mouth as he listened and then either roll his eyes, smirk, or seem frustrated. Watching his eyebrows was entirely too amusing as it seemed as though they were dancing with his changes of expression.

"Aunt Di... uh huh... yeah... she's _fine_ I swear," he said and then growled as he rolled his eyes and held the phone out to me. My eyes widened as I took it from him and put it to my ear.

"Diane?" I asked, wondering what in the world she would need to speak with me about.

"Bella honey, I heard what happened the other day. Are you really okay?" she asked worriedly and I chuckled.

"Yes Diane, I'm perfectly fine," I assured her.

"Did they move you all out of that villa?" she asked and I suppressed another chuckle.

"Yes, they did, and they took all the keys from the front desk," I replied as Edward rolled his eyes and shook his head, muttering something under his breath.

"Good," she sighed. "Edward's taking good care of you, right? We don't need to whip him into shape do we?" she asked and I laughed.

"That won't be necessary. He's taking perfect care of me," I chuckled as he sat back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest and his lips mashed together in a tight line.

"How are Alice and Rosalie? Are Emmett and Jasper taking good care of them?" she asked and I bit my lip momentarily so as not to laugh again.

"They're doing great, and yes they are taking perfect care of them as well," I said as I speared another piece of fruit.

"Okay, if you all need anything, don't hesitate to ask, and you all must come visit while the boys are away," she said and I smiled as I dipped my strawberry in my little bowl of yogurt.

"We will, thank you Diane," I said gratefully.

"Anytime sweetheart. I hope to see you soon," she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice.

"I'm sure you will, here's Edward," I said and then passed him back the phone. He shook his head as he took it and put it back up to his ear.

"Are you satisfied now?" he chuckled and I swatted at him.

"I told you she's fine. Listen, what can I use to relieve sunburn on top of that ointment?" he asked and then chewed on his lip as he listened.

"Yeah, it's pretty bad...uh huh...that actually works?...interesting...uhhh Bella," he said as he cast me a nervous sideways glance right before I heard Diane's voice emanate from the phone as he pulled it away from his ear and cringed.

"Aunt Di...I _am_!...I _am _taking good care of her!...I don't know, I was with Emmett and Jasper fixing the front door of the villa," he rambled as all eyes at our table focused on him. Most of us were stifling our amusement aside from Emmett who was grimacing and shaking his head while still looking somewhat amused.

"I feel like I'm in high school and I just got caught stealing my parents car," he grumbled as he covered up the speaker on his phone. I slapped a hand over my mouth and laughed silently as he removed his hand from the phone.

"Diane...you know I can't be there twenty four hours a day...uh huh...what do you want me to do? Hire her a body guard?...yes I was joking... I'm well aware of that and we took care of it... yeah, Jasper's staying with them...uh huh... Aunt Di I gotta go...yeah I'll tell her... okay _okay_... yeah we'll see you when we get back...alright...love you too," he said and then snapped the phone shut and tossed it back to Emmett who was now booming with laughter along with everyone else.

"What'd she say?" I chuckled and he huffed as he flopped back in his chair.

"She said put vinegar compresses on it during the day, take short cool baths a few times a day, and put a healthy dose of that ointment on it before you go to bed," he said as Emmett pounded his fist against the table as he laughed. Jasper was close to tears and Alice and Rosalie were leaning against them as they laughed in silent hysterics.

"Bro...what else did she say?" Emmett chortled and Edward grumbled before answering.

"She said I'm a shit for letting her get burnt again, and if Esme was here I would have already had my ass handed to me...more than once, um we should all be taking better care of them, and if we can't handle it then the girls should go stay with them for the remainder of their visit," he chuckled humorlessly and I toppled over into him as I laughed.

"Speaking of which, she told me to tell you that you are all more than welcome to come stay with them while we're gone," he said as he wrapped an arm around me and rubbed my arm.

"Oh man...we've totally been replaced," Jasper chortled and both Edward and Emmett nodded as they chuckled.

"I can't believe she lit into you like that. It's been _years_ since I've heard her go off the wall like that," Emmett said as he laughed softly.

"You're telling me...the last time I heard anything like that was when we were all visiting Grandpa Cullen in Italy and we got drunk off Uncle Aro's secret stash of aged wine," Edward replied as he shook his head.

"I still wonder how that old geezer even knew there was any missing," Emmett said with a thoughtful expression.

"Old man had eyes in the back of his head. Carlisle always said that as a kid he could never get away with anything, Aro caught him _every _single time," Edward chuckled.

"How big is your family?" I asked as I shook my head. I couldn't keep track of who was actual family or friends of family that they referred to as aunts, uncles, or cousins.

"How much have you had to drink today? Cause explaining our family is...difficult," Jasper said as he leaned forward.

"I haven't had anything but water," I chuckled as I sat upright and picked my fork back up.

"The easiest way to explain our family would be to say that as far as blood relations go, my parents, Emmett's parents, and the three of us are our entire family. It's when you factor in everyone else that it gets crazy. Our aunts and uncles would be Marcus and Diane, and Carmen and Eleazar who live in Alaska. Our cousins are Kate and her brother Felix, and Carmen and Eleazar's kids, Irina and Demitri. Then there's Aro and Cauis who we refer to as uncles, or great uncles whatever. They were really close friends of Carlisle's father, and I'm gonna stop there because I'll end up confusing even myself," Jasper chuckled and I laughed.

"That's like Alice's family...I can't ever keep track of who's in the whole first, second, or third branches of their family tree," Rosalie chuckled and I nodded in agreement. I had given up trying when we were still in middle school.

"It's not _that _bad," she scoffed. "There's..." she started and both Rose and I cut her off for everyone else's sakes. We'd be sitting there listening to her ramble off names and relations for the rest of our trip.

"Ali don't... we'll be here 'til we're old and gray," I chuckled and she stuck her tongue out at me before laughing softly.

The rest of lunch passed by with casual conversation, and shortly afterwards the guys walked us back to the villas. I took a cool shower and Alice and Rosalie applied some vinegar compresses to my burned skin. Aside from the smell, it was actually quite soothing. They sat and talked with me for a while, until it was time for me to rinse the vinegar off my skin, and then they headed off to the pool. I'd had enough of the sun for the day, so I busied myself by checking my e-mail on Rosalie's laptop.

I had gotten a few e-mails from Angela, assuring me that the editing process on my most recent submitted work was going smoothly and sending her wishes that I was enjoying myself. I replied, telling her that I was indeed having a good time, and asked a few questions regarding the release date, as well as having a copy set aside prior to the release date for me so that I could give it to Esme. I was sure it wouldn't be a problem, since Angela had always set aside a copy for my grandmother.

After sending a quick reply to my mother's numerous e-mails inquiring where I was and why I wasn't answering either her calls or e-mails, I spent a bit of time surfing the web for some ideas on redecorating my house. In just over two weeks, we would be returning to Seattle, and the last place I wished to return to was my crap hole little apartment. My home had remained empty aside from a few furnishings for two years, and it was about damn time that I pulled myself together enough to reclaim something that had once filled me with joy and a sense of accomplishment. Alice and Rosalie had always been right when they'd said that it was never his house to start with, it hadn't even ever been _our_ house, it had always been mine. I had made every mortgage payment, I had paid all the bills, and I had paid for all of its furnishings. There hadn't ever been any part of it that he could have even begun to lay claim upon.

"Whatcha doin' love?" Edward called from the doorway. I smiled as I looked up at him and pushed the laptop away from me.

"Looking at some new home furnishings. How's the work coming next door?" I asked as he walked toward me. He bent down and placed a chaste kiss against my lips before standing straight again.

"We're done for the day. There isn't much else we can do with the porch until we get the materials. How's the sunburn?" he asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"It isn't too bad right now, just a little tender. The vinegar definitely helped pull some of the heat out of it," I replied as I touched the areas gingerly.

"Do you need anything before I hop in the shower?" he asked and I shook my head as I smiled at him.

He got up off the bed and gave me a quick kiss before grabbing his bag and heading into the bathroom. When I heard the water turn on, I went back to surfing the internet, and as I tried to think about which furnishings would look good in what room, one vision kept popping up in my head repeatedly, replacing whatever piece of furniture I had been thinking of...Edward. Edward in the living room, Edward in the bedroom, Edward in the kitchen, it was the same no matter what type of décor I was looking at. He replaced all of them, making each room, that I could only recall from memory at that point, brighter and warmer than I could ever remember them having been, and instantly filling me with that feeling of being _home_.

It made me wonder if it had ever truly been the memories, or lack thereof, of my relationship with Jacob that had pushed me out of that house and into hiding, or if it had been the emptiness that echoed through the structure after his departure. Had Alice or Rosalie ever felt that oppressing emptiness in their equally as large homes, or was it just something that I had imagined in the wake of my pain. Acknowledging my having run away also made me unbearably curious as to what had forced Edward into hiding time and time again as Jasper had once said. Was he just running from guests that were harassing him, or was he running from something that he felt as I had been doing for so long.

I pushed the laptop off to the side of the bed and padded my way over to the bathroom door. I rapped on it lightly and waited. As soon as he called back, saying that it was open, I pushed the door open and stepped inside. He was standing at the sink, with a towel hanging low on his hips as he stood in front of the mirror shaving. I walked over to the sink and pulled myself onto it, sitting myself on the edge of the counter. He grinned at me as I smiled softly and took the razor from his hand.

"Should I be running and screaming for my life right now?" he chuckled and I laughed as I rolled my eyes.

"No...I promise not to hurt you. My dad used to let me do this when I was a little girl," I said as I raised the razor and made a smooth swipe down the side of his face.

"Can I ask you something?" I hedged as I rinsed off the razor.

"Sure...anything," he replied as he stepped in between my legs and caressed my calves lightly.

"During the times that you secluded yourself from your family, was it because of something a guest did or was it something else?" I asked hesitantly. I wasn't sure how he'd react to my knowing something so personal about him without him having told me. He reached out and took a hold of my hand, withdrawing the razor from it and placing it on the counter top before guiding my gaze up to meet his.

"Who told you about that?" he asked and I grimaced slightly.

"Jasper, right after you brought me that pina colada," I admitted. He nodded as he dropped his hand from my chin and laced our fingers together.

"Are you mad?" I asked worriedly. He didn't respond for a series of moments, but then he sighed and shook his head.

"No...I don't appreciate that he aired my business to someone he didn't know, but no, I'm not mad, and especially not at you," he replied as he gently squeezed our hands and I let out a sigh of relief.

"It was never a guest that made me pull away from my family," he said softly as he placed the razor back in my hand. I ran it under the water and lifted it back up to his face, making another smooth swipe down his skin.

"So what was it?" I asked as I rinsed the razor again.

"Different things at different times. Sometimes a memory of my parents would be triggered by something, and I'd have a hard time dealing with the sense of loss that I felt. I'd take off and head up to Chicago and visit their graves. Other times it was just a feeling of being lost in my life, not knowing what I was supposed to be doing, or who I was really supposed to be, so I'd leave for a while and do some "soul searching", but I'd always come back feeling just about the same as I had before I had gone, only able to mask it better."

"Once it was because I felt lonely, and I couldn't understand that because I was surrounded by people all the time. I left, thinking that it had something to do with how everyone around me was part of a couple, and that being away from all the people in loving relationships would help, but it didn't so I came back. And then other times, I just needed to get away and have a few days to myself without someone asking me if everything was alright, or if I was feeling okay," he responded, pausing each time I raised the razor to his face.

"What made you leave your home to live in an apartment?" he asked and my eyes widened before they narrowed at a spot just to the left of his ear.

"Lemme guess...Alice," I said as I looked back into his eyes. He nodded slightly and I made a face to him, which he mimicked so I could shave above his lip as I spoke.

"For a long while I thought I just couldn't be there because of the memories that the house constantly reminded me of, but now I'm beginning to think it was more of the empty feeling the house had when I was left alone in it that drove me away," I replied and then rinsed the razor one last time and placed it on the counter as I wet a washcloth to wipe his face off.

"I can understand that. That's how my family's house feels when there's no one but me in it. Too big and nothing capable of filling the space," he chuckled humorlessly.

"Exactly," I breathed as I dropped my hands from his face, still holding onto the washcloth.

"So can I add shaving to my list of things I'd rather have you do?" he chuckled, breaking up our slightly awkward silence. I snorted and rolled my eyes as I slapped him with the wet washcloth in the chest.

"I'll make a deal with you. You rub some of that ointment on my sunburn and we'll call it even, cause I like it better when you do that," I replied coyly.

"Deal," he said quickly and then grinned crookedly at me as he helped me off the counter.

He led me over to the bed and slipped into a pair of gym shorts before grabbing the bottle of lotion off the dresser. His hands were impossibly gentle as he spread the ointment over my tender skin. When he was done, he climbed into the bed next to me and I snuggled my side up against the front of his body as he reached behind me and grabbed the remote for the TV. We sat that way, chatting about what we were going to do once they got back from their supply run, not really paying much attention to whatever was on the TV.

Alice and Rosalie returned a short while later, and prior to hopping in the shower, they informed us that Emmett and Jasper had made plans for us all to eat dinner at the resort steakhouse. I cringed slightly at the thought of putting on normal clothing that would chafe at my skin. Thankfully, Rosalie came to the rescue just as I was trying to decide what to wear, and pulled a cute little summer dress out of my closet that was light and non-formfitting.

After dressing, I pulled half of my hair up into a clip, leaving the rest in waves down my back, and applied light makeup to my eyes. My jaw nearly hit the floor as I exited the bathroom and spotted Edward wearing a pair of perfectly faded jeans, and a crisp, silver thread lined white button down with an embroidered navy pattern spanning the left side of his chest and shoulder. The shirt was untucked and only buttoned half way up, exposing his navy undershirt, and as usual, his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He made the casual outfit look like something straight off the cover of a GQ magazine.

"Wow," I breathed and then smirked a little. "If I wasn't afraid it would hurt, I'd tackle you right here."

"If I didn't know you were in pain, you wouldn't have made it those two steps out of that doorway," he chuckled as he walked toward me, still adjusting one of his sleeves.

"You're breathtaking as always," he said as he leaned down for a kiss. I blushed slightly and cupped his face gently in my hands as our lips connected.

"Hey two-tone! Unlock those lips and let's go. I'm starvin' and Em's already pacing the front porch," Rose called as she flung my bedroom door open. I ripped my lips away from his and glared at her as he chuckled lightly.

"You two really are a match made in the kitchen," I said as I rolled my eyes and slipped my feet into a pair of mules with a low wedge heel.

"Don't you mean heaven?" she chuckled and I snorted as I shook my head.

"No...I meant kitchen. By the way you're both enamored by anything relating to food, I'd swear you were both conceived in kitchens," I laughed as I linked my arm with Edward, who was covering his mouth and chuckling away.

"Close...I do believe I was conceived on the dining room table...which ironically enough was part of the kitchen in our first house," she mused with a thoughtful expression.

"Gross Rose...I don't even wanna know how you know that," I grumbled as she started laughing and we walked past her.

"Hey Em! Where were you conceived?" she hollered as we crossed the living room. He stopped pacing in front of the doorway with a confused look.

"Kitchen floor, wedding night from what I've heard. Why?" he said and I bent over laughing as Edward tipped his head back and boomed with laughter.

"Damn...we really are a match made in the kitchen," Rose snickered, only fueling our laughter as Emmett started chuckling.

Alice and Jasper came out of her room shortly after, and together we all made our way up to the steakhouse. Dinner was the typical boisterous event, filled with conversation, laughter, and jokes...mostly aimed at me and my new nickname of two-tone granted to me by my dearest friend Rosalie. We learned a bit more about their enormous family, most of them residing in Italy near their great uncles Aro and Caius.

Compared to the lengthy lists of family members from them, Alice, and Rosalie, my listing of my family members, that took all of approximately ten seconds to complete, was actually quite comical. I was surrounded by people that would need to remove socks and shoes, and borrow limbs from others at the table, to count their family members while I would only need one hand, two if I counted my long lost aunt, her husband, and their two kids. I only mentioned them in passing being that no one in my family had seen or heard from them since my maternal grandfather's funeral. Apparently there was some big to do over my mother being left close to everything in his will. It hadn't fazed my aunt in the least that my grandfather had explained that his reason for doing so was that our family could use the help, and her family was well off and didn't need it.

I found her to be rather shallow for that, especially seeing as how when my grandmother had passed away, she had left damn near all of her valuable possessions to my aunt, only sparing my mother a few insignificant baubles. That's just how it was though, my aunt was my grandmother's favorite whereas my mother was my grandfather's. Had it been he that had passed first, we would have been left with practically nothing of theirs, as it all would have gone to my aunt and her family. She didn't see it the same way however, and we haven't heard from her since her attempt to contest the will failed. I can't say it wasn't a relief to see them go though, since I had damn near always despised my cousins and their holier than thou personalities. Never having to share my "shoe box" of a bedroom, as they called it, with them again was the light in the darkened tunnel of my grandfather's passing.

After dinner, Edward and I took a stroll along the beach, sharing conversation and enjoying occasional kisses. I learned a lot about his Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle during that walk as he shared stories from his childhood that was filled with giant family reunions and vacations yearly. I laughed my ass off when he told me about all the competitions he and his cousins had participated in during the reunions, with he, Emmett, and Jasper always teaming up with each other to keep their title of reigning champions over the years.

It was easy to see how competitive the three of them were. It was even funnier when he told me stories of how the three of them would turn on each other, playing off each others weaknesses, during competitions where it was "every kid for themselves." Apparently Emmett had been quite chunky as a kid and he was rather slow, Jasper wasn't very strong, and Edward was overly predictable. According to Edward, predictability was the least severe of the weaknesses and he reigned as champion for years in certain events.

When he asked me if my family had ever done anything like that prior to my aunt's estrangement, I laughed and told him how I was always picked last, and considered the weakest link by far, whenever our family and my aunt's husband's extended family got together for such type of functions. I couldn't deny it. I caused people to fall during the three legged race, I always dropped the stupid egg and broke it during the egg relay, and I always ended up soaked, without ever landing a hit on anyone when playing a water balloon version of dodge ball. It was kind of ironic that the reigning champion of his family would end up with the reigning loser of mine. It kind of reminded me of a story I had read once where the main characters referred to themselves as a lion and a lamb, him being the fierce lion, and me being the uncoordinated lamb.

By the time we made it back to the villa, it was late and everyone else had already gone to sleep. Unfortunately, due to his need to wake up early and my tender skin, we headed to bed quietly and didn't end up naked for once. As if that wasn't unfortunate enough, I awoke the following morning to an empty bed, the only thing resting where he had once been was a folded up piece of paper with his elegant script across it bearing my name. I frowned as I picked up the piece of paper and unfolded it to read it.

_My Beautiful Bella,_

_You looked so peaceful when I left, I didn't want to wake you. I put your phone back together and put it on the charger, and programmed Emmett's number in it for you. Call me when you wake up. I love you and I'll miss you._

_Take care of my heart, I've left it with you,_

_Edward_

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**AN: Alright people, you know what to do...REVIEW! Woooo! And if ya get the chance, head over to the TOF forum thread over on Twilighted. Help me pimp this shizz out people! I'll be there playin all night as I work on chaps for the upcoming Anywhere But Here story with Lovebuggkiss. Come hang with us! Love yas! ~Jersey~**


	15. Are We Done Yet?

**AN: Okay, so originally I was gonna hold this off until Monday or Tuesday because I haven't finished the next chapter yet, but seeing as how it's my birthday...here's my gift to you just because I love ya all so much...even you sneaky lil stalker people that never drop a line to say hello lol. ENJOY!**

**OMG before I forget...Huge shout out to Simona for making a craptastic banner for the upcoming Anywhere But Here story. Check it out on the TOF Twilighted forum! It's freaking hilarious!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own them...but I wish I had a man like em! SM owns these characters.

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Are We Done Yet?

EPOV

"Emmett, let's go before I lose the ability to leave," I said quietly as I shut the refrigerator door in front of his face. If he had started messing around with trying to put some kind of breakfast together out of the few things we had stocked the fridge with the day before, I would have wound up climbing back in bed and refusing to get out of it again.

"Baby girl's got you hooked that bad huh?" he smirked, keeping his voice low as he stood straight up.

"Why do you call her baby girl? Not that I mind or anything, I'm just curious," I said quietly, avoiding his question completely.

Truth was I was beyond hooked. There wasn't a part of me that she didn't have a hold on, and slipping out of the bed that she was still sleeping in was about the hardest damn thing I'd ever had to do. The only thing I could think of that was harder than that was trying to ignore the marks that were still healing on her and knowing how they got there and why.

That whole thing had been my fault. I'd overlooked the missing key because it hadn't been the first time that a guest had lost one of the sets of keys to one of either the villas or the suites, and the missing key hadn't been caught upon their check out. As if that wasn't bad enough, he had specifically been targeting her because of his overwhelming distaste for me. I was _livid_ when I found out just how many times he had been in and out of that villa while the girls were out with us, snooping around their belongings and doing God knows what. Had it not been for Alice being there when I found out, I probably would have found him and killed him.

"I dunno...I guess because I always thought that if I'd had a little sister I would have called her something like baby girl or little one, and she's just about everything I could have asked for in a little sister. She's strong, sarcastic, smart, and funny as all hell. Kinda like me, only short and a girl," he chuckled quietly and I laughed silently, being cautious not to wake her.

"You guys ready to roll?" Jasper asked and I threw a finger up to my lips, warning him to keep his voice down. He grimaced and nodded as he came into the kitchen.

"Alice is up and sitting with Rosalie until I get back. Are you guys ready to go?" he asked just above a whisper. I nodded and headed down the hallway toward Bella's room to grab my bag and steal a kiss from her warm pouting lips. The lips that just about broke me as they began to pout unconsciously the second I had slid from the bed.

I hated knowing that I wasn't waking her up as I know she had wished I would do, but it was tearing me apart to have to leave as it was. If she had been awake and I had seen the sadness in those big chocolate brown eyes of hers that I love so much, I would have been completely unable to remove myself from her presence.

Jasper drove Emmett and I over to the marina and helped us lower the boat we were taking into the water. It used to belong to our Uncle Marcus, and it had been old and cruddy before he'd given it to us when he moved to the island just before my eighteenth birthday. That summer, Emmett, Jasper, and I fixed it up and used it for fishing.

We didn't care how old and nasty it was when he'd given it to us, as we were beyond thrilled with how huge it was. It was this ugly faded red color that almost looked brown when we first took it over, and Emmett affectionately referred to our time on the boat while it was on dry land as being "stuck in the mud." The term stuck, and to this day the boat's name is "Stuck in the Mud." The name became even funnier when Emmett actually got the damn thing stuck in the mud on one of our first outings in it.

When we opened the resort, Emmett and I stripped the cabin of all the antiquated and dry rotted inner cabin fixtures and began using it as storage for when we were hauling supplies over from the mainland. That boat's spent more time on the water than probably all of our family combined.

"Take care of them, Jas, and for the love of God don't let a single one of them wander off alone. I don't want to suffer the wrath of Aunt Diane again," I said as I tossed our bags over the side of the boat and onto the deck floor. The sun was just starting to rise as Emmett climbed the tower and got the engines started.

"Don't worry about it, man. I got it under control. You sure the two of you will be okay doing all the work yourselves?" he asked and I laughed.

"I do it alone when you guys aren't here. As long as he doesn't start his bitching and whining we'll be fine," I chuckled.

"Good luck with that," he laughed as he backed away and I hopped over the side of the boat.

"I mean it, Jasper. Keep an eye on them...especially Bella. You never know when something as benign as a coconut will fall out of a tree just because she's standing under it," I chuckled, only half joking.

I truly was beginning to believe that she had some type of magnet for anything dangerous somewhere within her. In the short time that I had known her she'd choked on a drink, choked on toothpaste, and choked on sea water. She'd also gotten tossed through the air after hitting a wake wave on a water tube, gotten snared by a baited hook, fallen off a boat, and almost fell off a stool. And worst of all, she had been attacked by a person that we never would have expected could have done something like that simply because although he may have been a womanizer, he had never actually _hurt_ anyone before.

Had it not been for Kelly alerting us to what was going on, we never would have even known of their sordid affairs with the guests as none had ever actually complained about it. On some level, you had to assume that the women knew going into it that neither Tyler or Eric were really serious about them, and possibly even felt the same way. It's the ones like Jess that you have to wonder if they really were that oblivious to the games that were being played. She _had _to know deep down that Tyler wasn't going to be there in the morning, serving her breakfast in bed or holding her hand for the remainder of her stay. Mike's behavior wasn't exactly bad for business as much as it was just highly irritating. It was just his obnoxious mouth that got him into trouble on occasion.

"I will, I will...just get the run done and get your asses back here so we can have some fun before they leave," he called back as Emmett started to pull away from the slip. I waved once before climbing the ladder up to the tower to join Emmett.

"Hey, bro...I've been thinking. If I ever leave this island, there isn't going to be anyone around to do these trips. It's probably time we threw in the towel and just started having everything shipped in, that way Mom and Pop don't have to worry about it, and neither do Marcus or Diane," I said as I plopped down in the chair next to him.

"What the fuck, man! Why couldn't you say that shit two days ago? We could have found a way to call the orders in or some shit and it probably would have all been here by now," he grumbled and I laughed.

"Em...first of all, the places we go to won't deliver to the island. We have to find new places while we're out there that will. Second of all, we're not in the states. They aren't going to trust a random order as large as what we're accustomed to without us showing up in person first. And last but not least, we had to go anyway because we're almost out of beer and shit at the house, and I have to get a new cell phone," I said and he grunted as he nodded.

"It still would have been a quicker trip," he grumbled. "So you're really thinking of leaving the island?"

"It's crossed my mind a time or a dozen," I chuckled.

"Have you said anything to the 'rents about it?" he asked and I shook my head.

"No, I figured I'd bring it up after they met the girls. I'm not even sure if I _should_ bring it up because when Bella and I talked about it, we ended up joking around and never actually deciding upon anything," I said as I shook my head.

Truthfully, I wished we had come to an agreement that day in the pool. If she had asked me to come back with her I would have gone home that night and started packing immediately. I meant it when I told her that there was nothing tying me to the island. I understood her discomfort in leaving Seattle to be with me on the island, I really did.

Had my parents still been alive and I'd had solid friendships with people like she does with Rosalie and Alice, I would have had a hard time leaving them to move a couple thousand miles away to be with someone I had basically just met. I didn't have that problem however. My aunt and uncle were rarely ever home, and my closest friends are Emmett and Jasper. If anything, moving to Seattle would be bringing me closer to the people closest to me, not taking me away from them.

"And you think you moving to Seattle would be the best option?" he asked and I furrowed my brow at him.

"Uhhh..._yeah_. Think about it Em. She has her family there, her friends, her house...whenever she choses to move back into it. How much would she be missing if she moved here just to be with me? I know she can write from anywhere, that's not the issue. It's everything else, man. _Everything._ What if we got married and started a family. Where in the hell would our kids go to school? I'm _not _sending them to school in Brazil. There aren't even any kids here for them to grow up _with_," I ranted and he laughed. He freaking _laughed._

"What?" I asked defensively.

"Bro...you're ranting about kids and schools for kids that you don't have. It's hilarious because I _never _thought I'd see the day where "Edward the loner" became "Edward the I want to be a family man" man. And stop saying what if when you know damn well straight right now that there isn't another person out there that's a better match for you," he said as he stopped laughing and pointed right at me sternly.

"I do realize that, but that doesn't mean that it's definite that one day we'd be married," I retorted.

"I'm telling you right now you will be. I see the way she looks at you. I watched both of you awkwardly fight against what you were feeling, and how long did that last? A day? Two tops? What's between you two is stronger than either of you realize. Fighting against it was like trying to stop the rising and falling of the tides...it was impossible, bro. Neither of you were going to win that fight in the end and we all knew it," he said and it was my turn to laugh.

"You sound like Uncle fuckin' Marcus," I chortled and he chuckled.

"Who do you think I got that line about the tides from? He said it damn near five minutes after meeting her and seeing the two of you together. It's fate, bro. You can't run from it," he said and I let his ranting process in my brain for a few minutes.

"What'd Marcus and Diane say about Rosalie and Alice?" I asked curiously and he grunted.

"They said that we'd be damned fools if we let them get away. When I talked to them last week, they said something about how we were all meant to meet. That it was fate that brought us all together here at the same time. Marcus said something about the bonds between Rosie and I and Jasper and Alice growing quickly over time, but said they were blown away by you and Bella. Marcus said he doesn't think he's ever known of a connection that strong, which I found hilarious by the way because at the time you two were still fighting against what you felt," he chuckled and I joined in.

"Don't you find it insane how quickly all of this happened with all of us?" I asked and he shrugged.

"Edward, man, I spent four years in high school with someone that I fought with constantly and thought I was in love. I married her right after high school, and that marriage lasted all of six years tops. In all those years I never, _never_, felt for her the way I felt for Rosie after two days, and my love for her has only grown since then. Whether it's fate, or destiny, or any of that shit that Marcus and Diane ramble about constantly, I could care less. What I _do_ care about, is making her happy and enjoying _being_ happy for once in my damn life. I could care less if it's insane that I care as deeply as I do about her within such a short period of time. I've done the prolonged thing before, and it got me nowhere but homeless with half the shit I had the day prior to signing a piece of fucking paper finalizing my divorce," he replied and I nodded as I chewed on the inside of my cheek.

"You know what the biggest argument I've had with Rosie over the last week and a half was?" he asked and I shook my head.

"It was a damn fork war over who got the last bite of that death by chocolate desert that you brought home the other night. Two weeks into my relationship with Lauren, we were fighting, and I mean really fighting, over some of the _stupidest _shit known to man. Like the fact that I had picked up a book that some girl had dropped in the hallway at school and handed it back to her. Who the hell fights over shit like that? I'll have a fork war with Rosie over a piece of desert any day of the week over that shit, and after laughing for the better part of fifteen minutes, I'll let her have it just so I can see her smile at me. I'm not saying we'll never fight, because I have no doubt that at some point we will. She's feisty and I'm a stubborn jackass, so it's inevitable, but I have no doubt in my mind that whatever it is that we actually fight about, it won't be something as asinine as picking up a book for someone," he said and I chuckled as I nodded.

"Have you and Bella gotten into any quarrels yet?" he inquired as he laughed softly.

"No, our biggest stand off was the day I threw her over my shoulder and stormed into the house because for some fucking reason she believed what Jess said to her," I said as I shook my head and Emmett slowed the boat as we approached the mainland docks by our garage complex.

"Edward, she's been hurt...and badly. Her ex treated her like shit and after living with it for so long, she believed that she just wasn't worth it and that's why he hurt her. I knew it the moment she accused me of saying things just to get women in bed," he said as he maneuvered the boat into the slip and killed the engine before turning toward me.

"What exactly was said that day?" I asked curiously.

"Rosalie asked me if I was the way I was acting towards them with every woman, and I said no, it was just something about the three of them. Which was true. I didn't know what it was at the time, but the moment I met them, I felt light and carefree and was able to joke around the way I hadn't been able to do in years. Bella had a bout of word vomit to my response and said something along the lines of 'I bet you say that to all the women before you bed them.' That's when I knew that someone had all but ripped her heart out of her chest and stomped on it right in front of her," he replied as his hand clenched around the steering wheel.

"Yeah, that would be Jacob, her once best friend," I muttered angrily.

"Yeah, I know. Rosalie told me. All I'm saying is that it's not that she doesn't trust your intentions or anything like that. She just doesn't think she's worthy of you. Don't take offense to it, just help her through it. She's had two years to get over what he did to her, but you have to realize just how long she had lived with a person hurting her when he was supposed to be one of her best friends. You've had eight years to get over what some girl that you met and got involved with did to you," he said and my eyes shot up to his as he smirked at me.

"Didn't think I knew about that shit did ya?" he asked and I shook my head. "I knew, bro. I've just pretended not to be aware of it because if you had wanted to talk about it, you would have. It's not my place to go snoopin' around and try to dig shit out of you that you don't want to air out. I'm not Jasper. I don't meddle in other people's lives, and I don't air other people's business either. I don't know how long you were together, or who she was, or anything like that, but I do know that some woman did a damn good number on you. I knew it when I saw how drastically you had changed between spring break and when I arrived at the island for the summer and found out that you had dropped out of school and moved there," he said and I sighed as I nodded.

"Never could hide shit from anyone in this family," I chuckled.

"Unless your name is Jasper...I swear he's missing a chromosome or something. He's one of the only ones in this family that if you can keep a straight enough face, he'll buy whatever bullshit you're selling him," he laughed and I joined in as we got up to tie up the boat.

"So anyway, back to this whole Seattle thing. What are you gonna do if you move up there?" he asked as we started walking down the dock toward the garage complex.

"I don't really know. I haven't thought much about that part of it. Maybe I'll go back to school or some shit to keep myself busy," I replied as I shrugged.

"You can always come work with me. I've been looking into buying and restoring some of the historic houses in the area, but I could really use someone I can trust to help me head the project up. The economy right now is hurting a lot of people, and with as fortunate as our family is I'd like to be able to provide those homes to people who are struggling to keep themselves afloat. There's a couple local businesses up there that are willing to donate materials and appliances, even furniture, if I can get the project started," he said and I was taken aback by his proposal.

"Em, that's...I'm speechless. Really. Even if I don't end up moving up there, lemme know if you need anything. I'll help fund it if you need it," I replied as he punched the code into the alarm as we entered the garage.

"I actually do need some help there. I'm not hurting by any means financially, but I'd be taking a huge risk if I took on the financial burden of the project on my own. Jasper agreed to work with me free of charge on the project, but he doesn't really have the money to invest in it. Are you sure you're able to?" he asked as I shut the door behind me.

"Don't worry about me, just lemme know what you need when ya need it and I'll get it to you. I hit a damn good running streak a few years ago and it damn near tied me in net worth with Mom and Pop," I chuckled. I wasn't about to admit how much I'd lost over the last year at the moment. It was after my last few hits that I came back down to tie with them. For a while I had secretly been worth more than the two of them combined.

"Are you fuckin' serious?" he chuckled with an astonished face.

"Yeah. I've withdrawn almost everything recently from the market since it's not fairing so well in terms of long term investments, and I've only been dabbling in areas where I can make a quick profit," I replied and he shook his head.

"Goddamn savant...I'm telling you you're a goddamn savant," he laughed and I scoffed as I pulled the cover off my baby...my V12 Astin Martin Vanquish. It'd been over a month since I'd gotten to take her for a spin. I inspected her quickly and then covered her back up, knowing I wasn't going to be able to take her out during this trip.

"Man, I swear that car is your greatest love," he chuckled and I shook my head as I looked up at him over the roof of the car.

"Was, bro...was my greatest love," I said as I grinned like a fool. Only Bella could make me grin like a damn baffoon.

"Good to hear ya say it, cause I'd have to kick your ass if ya didn't," he laughed as he pulled a set of keys off the wall.

"I see Pops liked our Christmas present to him last year," he said as he pointed to the Hummer caked in dried up mud parked next to our Ford F350 replica of the resort truck that we'd been using over the last few days on the island.

"You'd think he would have washed the damn thing when he was done," I laughed as I kicked a wad of dried mud off the tire flap.

"He's probably waiting for one of us to do it," he chuckled and I shook my head.

"Alright, let's get this damn show on the road. I wanna be back as soon as possible," I said as I hopped in the truck and hit the button for the garage door. Emmett tossed me the keys and I backed out as he opened the door for the trailer a few rows down. Within minutes we had it all hooked up and I pulled out so he could lock the place up and reset the alarm. Emmett was chuckling and shaking his head as he walked out of the door with his phone up to his ear.

"Oooh, Edward man, you're in the doghouse," he chuckled as he passed me the phone.

"Good morning, beautiful," I said as sweetly as I could, hoping that Bella wasn't really pissed at me.

"You little bugger," she chuckled, and I grinned knowing I wasn't in _that_ much trouble for having left without waking her.

"Aw...I'm sorry. It was hard enough for me to leave with you still sleeping. It would have been impossible with you awake," I confessed.

"I would have at least liked to have given you a kiss goodbye," she whined, and I could just picture her pouting.

"Will it help if I told you I gave you one before I left?" I asked hopefully.

"A little...but you're still in deep shit when you get back...just not as deep," she chuckled and I laughed.

"So where are you guys?" she asked as I pulled onto the road.

"We just got done hooking up the trailer and now we're headed to a liquor store a couple hours away that sells us bulk quantities. There's a cell phone place not far from there that I have to stop in at to replace the one I lost in the water," I replied, smiling even wider as I heard her snicker lightly.

"What are you guys planning on doing today while we're sweating our asses off loading the trailer?" I chuckled.

"I'm not sure yet, I just woke up and it doesn't sound like anyone else is awake yet," she responded quickly.

"They probably all went back to sleep after we left."

"Either that or they left me without waking me like you did," she chuckled and I grunted.

"They better not have. I'll whoop Jasper's ass if he isn't watching over you," I grumbled.

"I'm sure they're just still sleeping, Edward," she said, trying to appease me just as the phone beeped.

"Love, Esme's calling. I have to let you go. I love you, call me later," I said, feeling rather dismal that our call was ending.

"I love you too, don't work too hard," she chuckled, and my heart broke when I heard the longing in her voice.

_Damn I really should have woken her up before I left..._I thought as we said our quick goodbyes and I answered Esme's call.

"Hey, Ma...what's up?" I asked as Emmett turned around to pull something out of one of the coolers in the backseat.

"Edward? I swore I called Emmett's phone," she said, sounding confused.

"You did, Ma...I was talking to Bella on it when you called," I chuckled.

"Oh," she laughed. "I'm sorry, dear. You should have ignored my call."

"It's alright. I can call her back later. So what's up?" I asked as Emmett handed me a bottle of water. I tossed it into the cup holder for the time being.

"I wanted to ask you both when these lovely girls I keep hearing so much about are leaving," she said and I grinned.

"Two and a half weeks. Are you going to be back before then? They really want to meet both of you," I said as Emmett nodded next to me.

"We're trying to make it back by the beginning of their last week. It'd be easier had Carlisle not insisted on taking the boat instead of the car," she said stiffly and I heard him in the background grumbling about not knowing that we were going to be meeting anyone special beforehand.

"Relax, Ma...they aren't leaving until the third Sunday from now. You'll have plenty of time to get to know them if you make it in by the beginning of the last week," I said and she sighed.

"How are they, dear? How's Bella? I've been awfully worried about her since I heard about what happened," she said and I nearly groaned.

"She's fine, I swear. They're all doing perfectly well and enjoying their time on the island," I replied as I gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"Diane is quite taken with her, with Alice and Rosalie as well. I can't wait to meet them," she said with a relieved tone. "Did the clean up crews get everything cleared up from the storm?"

"Yeah, they had it done by the time we got back from fishing. That must have been one hell of a crew," I chuckled.

"Cost a pretty damn penny too," she grumbled.

"Alright, Ma...I'm driving so I'm gonna pass you to Emmett. I love you and I'll see you when you get home," I said quickly.

"I love you too, honey," she replied and I passed the phone off.

We arrived at our first stop almost three hours later, and Emmett went in to pay for our usual load while I jogged down the road to hit up the cell phone store. A half hour and five hundred fuckin' dollars later, I jogged back down the road and hooked the phone up to the car charger.

"Just in time, man," Emmett chuckled as he raised the trailer door.

"Yeah, leave it to us to pick the hottest damn day of the year so far to make this run," I scoffed as a few of the store workers started wheeling out cases of liquor.

"You didn't forget to double up on the tequila for Marcus did you?" I asked as he hopped into the trailer.

"Nah...I got em. Got his rum too," he replied and I nodded as I started passing him cases off the dollies.

"Man I'm too old for this shit," Emmett grumbled a little over an hour later and I snorted. "It's five thousand goddamn degrees in here, I'm soaked in sweat, and we aren't even half way done."

"Em, you're barely a year older than I am. Don't you do manual labor all day long up in Seattle?" I retorted as I passed him another case.

"It's not the work, it's the fuckin' heat. It's never this damn hot up there," he grumbled again.

"Switch spots with me then. At least there's a slight breeze out here. It isn't much but it's something," I said as I hopped up into the trailer. He hopped out and picked up another case after drying his face on his shirt.

_God we're gonna smell like shit by the time we get to the motel..._

"Bro...this is definitely the last run we're ever going on," I said after I had stacked the last case and secured all the boxes so they wouldn't topple over during transport.

"Thank God...cause I was about to say...next time you're on your own," he chuckled as he tossed me a bottle of cold water. I chugged damn near the whole thing as I sat on the edge of the trailer.

"I'm starvin' like Marvin...what the hell did we pack to eat?" he asked as he stood.

"Hell if I know, you guys packed it while Bella and I were walking the beach," I chuckled as I stood and shut and locked the trailer door.

"I'm gonna go talk to the owners and see if they know of a place that will deliver this shit to us," I said and he nodded as he took off to dig through the coolers.

I went in and talked with the owners and employees at length. I was pleased when the owner said that although they didn't have the capability to deliver our usual orders to the island, they had a sister company closer to the shore that could and we spent the better part of an hour getting it all set up with delivery schedules and methods of payment. They even suggested a company close to that one that could possibly deliver the rest of our supplies as well. I thanked them and headed back out of the store to find Emmett snoozing in the truck cab with the air conditioning blowing full blast.

"Are you too tired to hit up the next spot?" I asked as I hopped in the driver's side of the truck.

"Nah...let's get this shit done. Maybe we can get home by tomorrow night," he said as he turned the air down a notch. With that I pulled away and headed toward our second destination.

On our drive, I filled him in on what the owners of the last place had told me, and we decided to check it out before heading back to the island. We were hoping to have had it all set up before heading back so we wouldn't have to worry about it later.

By the time we got in and out of our second stop, and loaded up the bulk amount of paper necessities, soap, laundry detergent, and cleaning supplies, we were exhausted and damn near ready to crash. We stopped in at a local restaurant and had a quick dinner before calling it a night and heading to our usual motel. Since they didn't have a double room, we ended up getting two singles, and after making sure the truck and trailer were secure, we turned in for the night.

I took a long hot shower, shaved, and then tossed on a pair of boxers before heading back into the room to call Bella. As exhausted as I was, there was no way in hell I was going to sleep without talking to her first. I missed her like crazy, and I desperately wanted to know how her day had been.

"Hello?" she answered, sounding unsure of who could be calling her.

"Hey baby, what are you up to?" I asked, smiling instantly as she sighed.

"Watching TV, and pickling myself. I probably smell like a bag of salt and vinegar chips...which I love by the way, but I'm not sure how much I enjoy smelling like them," she chuckled and I laughed. "How was your day?" she asked with the sweetest voice I'd ever heard.

"Tiring, but we got half of it done and we're hoping to be home by tomorrow night," I replied as I ran a hand through my wet hair.

"Really?" she asked, sounding hopeful. I chuckled and gave her a quick "uh huh".

"What all do you guys have left to get?"

"Just some glassware to replace what's been broken over the last few months, chemicals for the pools, materials to fix the porch, and some new linens that Esme wanted," I replied as I shifted slightly on the bed. "What did you end up doing today?"

"Hm...let's see. We went to breakfast at the little cafe in town. Their strawberry crepes were amazing. Then Alice and Rosalie dragged me and Jasper through all the stores and we laughed as they tore through the racks trying on damn near every piece of clothing available. We thought it was funny because half of it was designed by Alice," she chuckled and I laughed.

"Did you buy anything?"

"Yeah, I bought a tankini that I liked, a few pairs of underwear, and a cute anklet that I saw in a clearance bin while I was standing at a register," she snickered. She had my interest peaked at the mention of underwear. Whatever came after that was pretty much lost information.

"What kind of underwear? The itty bitty kind, or the ones like the pair you were wearing when you opened the door thinking I was Alice and Rosalie?" I chuckled.

"The kind like I was wearing when I opened the door," she replied shyly and I grinned. God how I loved how those underwear looked on her.

"I think I prefer those actually...those cheeky ones that hug your ass sinfully," I chuckled and had to bite back a groan when the image of her that day popped in my head.

"Really now...I would have thought you preferred the itty bitty ones that remind me of dental floss," she laughed.

"Oh no...I like those too, but they don't have the same effect as those lacy hip hugging ones do," I replied as the monster in my shorts sprung to life.

"If you keep thinking about them, you're gonna have a problem," she snickered.

"Too late, love. The monster's already awake," I chuckled and she snorted as she laughed.

"What are you wearing right now?" I asked, my voice suddenly deeper than it had been.

"A white camisole and a navy blue pair of lacy undies," she replied, and I could just imagine her blushing and biting her lip.

"Where is everyone else?" I asked, wondering why she was all alone and wearing something she'd sleep in.

"They're in the hot tub. I can't go in cause of the sunburn. It hurts too damn much when hot water hits it," she said and then sighed.

"What's wrong?" I asked, not liking the sound of that sigh. It wasn't the same as the content one she'd had when she'd heard my voice after answering the phone.

"Nothing...I just miss you," she said and I frowned as my heart broke at the sadness in her tone.

"I miss you too, Bella. I'll be home soon though. Just a day and a half at most," I replied soothingly.

"A day never felt so far away before...I swear you better brace yourself to be tackled when you walk in the door," she chuckled.

"I thought I was in the doghouse?" I asked as I smirked.

"Ohh, I'm sure there'll be something dog related at some point," she laughed and the dozing monster in my shorts damn near ripped through them as it came to full attention and my mouth parted slightly in surprise. I hadn't ever heard her speak so...forwardly.

"My, my...is that Dirty Bella I hear coming out to play?" I chuckled, and I swear I could _feel_ the heat radiating through the phone from her blush.

"Sorry...I'm just a little, uh... tense?" she stammered. I bit my lip and fought off a chuckle as I stared up at the ceiling.

"Can I help relieve your _tension_ at all?" I asked huskily as thoughts of Bella touching herself, in ways that I was desperately longing to, floated through my mind.

"Edward," she sighed, "There's no locks on the doors, and I sure as shit don't wanna be caught in that position."

"Okay...so we'll kill two birds with one stone...You have to take a bath to wash that vinegar off, and there's a lock on that door. Just turn the volume up on the TV before you go in there," I said, trying to keep my level of excitement at the possibility of hearing her pleasure herself down.

It was silent on the phone for a minute, and it felt like it had been an eternity before she finally breathed a nearly inaudible "okay". I damn near shot up off the bed in my excitement, feeling like a hormone driven teen that was about to experience all the glory that is my Bella for the first time ever. From the moment I had laid eyes on her, she had invaded every one of my fantasies...and none of them ever compared to the real thing.

I heard her cross the room and shut the bathroom door after turning the volume up on the TV, and she quickly started running the water for her bath. I was damn near vibrating in my excitement as I ripped my boxers off and flung them across the room.

"I hope you're better at this than I will be...because I've never done anything like this before," she said shyly, and I could just imagine how bright red she was at the moment...and _not_ from her sunburn. I love her blush...it's the most exquisite thing I'd ever seen. It portrayed her innocence perfectly, the innocence that was often left unseen as some of her bouts of word vomit jaded it, leaving it unnoticeable to the untrained eye.

"I've never done this either, but if you're feeling even half as ungodly horny as I am right now...this shouldn't be hard to do," I chuckled as she snickered lightly.

"Okay...hold on a sec...I have to get undressed," she said quickly, and I nodded like a dumbass as if she could actually see me.

_What I'd give for one of those awesome video phones right now..._

Thoughts of Bella naked, and in the water of the tub flashed through my mind, making me even more aroused than I had been and becoming rock hard. It was slightly comical to see my erection standing straight up in the air, tall and proud and ready to wave at someone should they walk by. That thought quickly brought me back into the moment and I checked to make sure the curtains had been drawn on the window...which they hadn't been. I flew off the bed and yanked them shut, praying to God that no one had walked by in the last few minutes.

"I feel like an idiot," she said suddenly and I chuckled, wondering if I should tell her just how much of an idiot I actually was at the moment. Hell if it helped her from feeling embarrassed I'd strut through the parking lot in my birthday suit, fully aroused and ready to poke someone's damn eye out.

"Love...at least you didn't forget to draw the curtains before you stripped," I chuckled and she laughed as I laid back down on the bed.

"What are you doing?" I asked when I heard a strange noise float through the receiver.

"Flicking the water and trying to calm my nerves...I don't know how to do this...or what to say...or...God I'm gonna be horrible at this," she mumbled.

"Relax, baby...it won't work if you're all worked up and nervous about it. It's just me on the phone. Close your eyes and pretend that I'm there with you," I offered, and did the same for myself. She wasn't the only one feeling slightly awkward, but at that moment I would have given damn near anything to hear her. I heard her take in and release a calming breath and I grinned slightly.

"Tell me one of your fantasies," she said suddenly and my eyes shot open. I figured I'd have to be the one to initiate, but she surprised me yet again by taking the reins.

"Okay, I'll tell you...but you have to promise me something," I responded, grinning and knowing that by the end of it, we'd both be at least a little less tense, and she wouldn't have to feel very awkward with me doing most of the talking. She hummed her acceptance and I closed my eyes again.

"Everything that I say that I'm doing in my fantasy...you have to do to yourself," I said and she gave me a quick "okay". Her rapid response told me that she probably was just as goddamn horny as I was at the moment and willing to do anything to satiate that feeling...even if only slightly.

"I had this fantasy the day we went water skiing, in the pool after we got back. You were floating on a raft, and I wanted to trickle water down your chest and stomach so that I could run my hands over your skin and see your skin glisten in the sunlight," I said as I ran my hand down my chest and grabbed a hold of my throbbing erection.

"You'd undo your bathing suit top and drop it in the water, allowing me to run my hands over your perfect breasts," I continued. She hummed and my thoughts shifted to seeing her run her dainty hands over her supple mounds.

"I'd lean down and trail my tongue down the side of your neck, sucking and nipping until I reached your breasts where I would suck your nipple into my mouth and swirl my tongue around it as I palmed the other, squeezing it gently," I said, running my hand up and down my shaft slowly as she whimpered.

"I'd trail my hand down your stomach, and slide it under your bottoms, and run my fingers down your wet folds...mmm God you have no idea how warm and wet you get. Once I feel you I have to be in you...I can't bear it any longer," I moaned, tightening my grip on my cock as she moaned softly.

"I'd lift you off the raft and into my arms, and walk us over to the steps. I'd look right in your eyes as I slowly pulled your bottoms down, exposing your beauty to my eyes. You're the most perfect creature I've ever seen," I said, starting to pant slightly as I worked myself.

"What would you want me to do then, Bella?" I asked, needing a minute to focus on my own pleasure.

"Touch me...God just touch me, anywhere...everywhere," she moaned and my cock jumped in my hand with the desperation in her voice.

"Trust me, love...there's nothing I love more than touching you...and tasting you. God you taste better than anything I've ever experienced. I'd have to taste you as I sat you down on the ledge and pulled your legs over my shoulders," I said as I imagined her taste on my tongue. It was goddamn divine and I'd be spending hours relishing in it as soon as I got my ass back home.

"Don't stop...Fuck...keep going," she panted.

"Mmm...you like it when I lick your pussy, don't you?" I smirked.

"Fuck...yes...ung...I love it," she moaned, sounds of water sloshing slightly in the background. Images of Bella pleasuring herself ran through my mind uninhibited, sparking a possessiveness within me that I had never before experienced.

"You're mine, Bella. You're beautiful face is mine, your perfect breasts and ass are mine, and your platinum pussy is _mine_, and I'll prove it when I bury myself deep within you," I growled as I pumped myself viciously.

"Ung...God...I'm yours...only yours," she panted. I knew she was close, just as I was.

"Just like I'm yours, baby. My cock belongs nowhere but within your hot wet pussy. As soon as I get home it'll be spending _hours_ there, love..._hours_, pumping in and out of you and making you feel like the gorgeous goddess you are as I worship every inch of your fucking divine body," I said breathlessly, dangerously close to falling over the edge as I listened to her moans and whimpers.

"Fuck...Edward, I'm gonna come."

"Come with me, baby. I wanna hear your sweet voice moan my name," I panted, feeling my own orgasm coming fast and furious.

As my name began to tumble off her lips I felt the hot, thick cum shoot from me and land on my stomach as I panted her name back to her. For as possessive as I had felt over her during our phone session, when I came back down to Earth, I was fully aware of just how completely she possessed me. She _owned_ me; mind, body, heart, and soul. Everything that I was belonged to her in a way that I had _never _belonged to anyone.

In that moment, I realized that I was a ruined man. If things somehow didn't work out with her, I was ruined for the rest of my life. I would never be able to look at another woman with the amount of passion and love that I held for her. She was it for me, and there wasn't a damn thing I was going to do to change that. I wanted her to own me. I wanted to be hers and only hers for all eternity.

"Edward...tell me we can lock ourselves away when you get home...because that only made me need you more," she chuckled. I grinned wickedly as I grabbed the towel off the chair in the room and wiped my stomach off.

"Baby doll...by the time I get done with you when I get home, you won't be able to move let alone think straight," I vowed and she whimpered, the sound of it causing my cock to twitch and start hardening again. I heard her shift in the water and it sounded like she was getting out of the tub.

"Be careful, Bella...I'm not there to catch you," I said as I smiled and she scoffed.

"Thanks, Edward...I don't need to be reminded that you're not here. I think I've realized that throughout the day," she grumbled and I chuckled.

"What else did you do today?" I asked as I slid my boxers back on and plopped down onto the bed.

"We had lunch with Diane and Marcus. They said Kate was out shopping with Kelly or something. When we got back to the resort we went swimming for a little bit, and then when I couldn't take being in the sun anymore we went to dinner before we all came back to the villa. I tried to tell them to stay at the pool and enjoy it, but Jasper wouldn't hear of it so they ended up in the hot tub here," she said and I smiled, internally patting Jasper on the back for following through with my request.

"I asked him to keep a close eye on all of you. I'd be a nervous wreck if I had to think of something happening to one of you," I admitted honestly.

"Thanks, Edward...feeling like a prisoner being guarded is just how I like to relax on gorgeous islands," she chuckled.

"I'm sorry, love, but it's hard enough just being away from you. With everything that's happened recently, thinking of being away from you is unbearable at best...it's damn near torturous," I said and she sighed.

"What are you gonna do when I go back to Seattle?" she asked lightly, amusement shining brightly in her tone over the topic, unlike any other time she had brought the subject up.

I wasn't sure at the moment, but I had a suspicion that she was seriously considering one of us relocating. I didn't personally care who did the moving, as long as it kept us together. Being away for not even a full day at that point in the conversation had been unbearable. I didn't want to think about what months of being apart would feel like. I'd have to keep a phone glued to my ear and connected to a charger that kept me on a four foot leash to an outlet somewhere, and pay astronomical cell phone bills just to be able to manage it. Even then I wasn't sure I'd survive it.

"Pay Emmett to stand in as your guard until we could be together again," I laughed.

"You're ridiculous," she laughed in response.

"We really need to discuss this whole thing when you get back. I don't like the idea of a long distance relationship. I'm just not sure which way would be better for us," she said after she sighed. I damn near hopped off the bed and did a victory dance in the middle of my room.

"I told you before, Bella, wherever you are is where home is to me. The decision is up to you. I'll be happy whether you move to the island or I move to Seattle," I said as I grinned like a madman. "Think about it and we'll talk it over after you regain your ability to speak when I get home."

"What would you do with all your spare time if you moved up to Seattle?" she asked.

"I talked to Emmett about it today. He actually asked me the same thing, and he offered to let me head up a new charitable organization that he wants to start but doesn't have the time to do so on his own. I'll probably take him up on his offer if I end up moving up there. Jasper already agreed to volunteer for the project as well," I replied, feeling excited over the prospect of being able to involve myself in the project as well as being able to see Bella everyday.

"Oh my god! Did you know that Jasper's thinking of asking Ali to marry him?" she whisper yelled suddenly and I laughed because it was just so random.

"No...I didn't," I chuckled. "He hadn't mentioned it. How did you find out?"

"He asked me this morning while she was in the shower if I thought he was crazy for wanting to propose to her before she left. He wants her to know that he's serious about their relationship," she said, attempting to keep her voice down.

"That's kind of funny...I had my bets on Emmett being the first to drop down on one knee, only because he's the most impulsive one out of the family," I chuckled.

"Yeah, well Ali and Rose made a bet the first day we were here. Ali said she'd be engaged before we left the island after seeing Jasper for all of like a minute and a half," she laughed and I shook my head as I chuckled.

Out of nowhere, images of Bella dressed in a simple white dress and walking down the beach toward me floated through my mind, and I began contemplating if Jasper would indeed be the first to drop down on one knee. Hell if I knew she'd say yes I'd drop down the moment I saw her, but I pushed that thought out of my head and tried to focus on just the fact that I no longer had to dread the next few weeks coming to an end.

"What did you say to him?" I asked curiously, thinking maybe it would give me an idea as to where she stood on the subject of marriage so soon after meeting someone.

"I told him that if he had asked me a year, month, or even a little over a week ago I would have tried to have him committed, but then told him that if him thinking that way made him crazy, than my envisioning you in my house, in place of the new furniture I was trying to envision in there, made me certifiably insane," she laughed.

"You were picturing me in your house?" I chuckled and she hummed her affirmation.

"Yeah, not on purpose...it just kept happening when you were in the shower yesterday," she chuckled.

"Are you planning on moving back into your house?" I asked, recalling a conversation that we'd had at some point during the last week and a half over how she had purchased the house of her dreams as a reward to herself for her success, but then couldn't live in it anymore after her breakup.

She wasn't sure anymore if it was because of her memories of her ex in there, or if it was just because of how big and empty it had felt when she was left alone in it. I told her that I felt the same way about my family's house when there was no one but me in it...too damn big and nothing to fill the void of the empty space. With everything I had heard about their relationship, I highly doubted that he had as great of an effect on her as Ali and Rose had made it out to seem. I truly believed that there was way more to what she had been through in the last two years than what they could see from the outside looking in.

With everything that had happened since she'd come to the island, she'd proven herself to be a damn strong person, but her insecurities were like her kryptonite. She could handle someone attacking her as if it was nothing, but the second someone made her second guess herself, you could see her strength crumble right in front of your eyes. It was baffling to witness as I couldn't find a damn thing for her to ever need to second guess. She was perfect in my eyes, but in hers she was far from it, and it made me wonder if her seclusion and depression had revolved more around herself than anything that had to do with her relationship with that ass ending.

"Yeah...if I end up staying up there anyway," she said.

"The memories of Jacob aren't going to bother you with living there?" I asked and then wanted to kick myself right in the ass for bringing that jackass's name up.

"No...I really think it was just the emptiness of the place that got to me. It made me feel even more alone than I already felt with all the empty silence surrounding me. I really think his leaving just unleashed all of my own personal bullshit that I'd been burying for years and that's what messed me up for so long," she said and I nodded.

We spoke for a while longer, discussing the two years prior to her coming to the island, and the depression she went through. I can't say that I was surprised to find out that the only person she hadn't shied away from during those years was her grandmother as she was the only family member that Bella was really close to. If anything she had tried to put up a facade to keep her grandmother from worrying over her, and I was pretty damn positive that she failed in those efforts. If you get to know her, she's pretty damn easy to read emotionally speaking. Mentally...I think I'd always be at a loss there. I never knew what would pop out of her mouth next, but I wouldn't change that for the world. By the time we said our I love yous and got off the phone, I was more desperate than ever to get my ass back home and show her just how goddamn irresistible and perfect she is.

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**AN: Alright people...flood my inbox! I'm in need of some love seeing as only 2 people remembered my birthday ::pouts:: Don't forget to come play on the TOF Twilighted forum topic thread in the AU-Human forum! Much love to ya all! ~Jersey~**


	16. Oh Life! How I've Missed Thee!

**AN: DON'T KILL ME! PLEASE! Okay so I realize I've been a little...uhh slow(?) with updates recently. I swear it wasn't my intention to fall behind on this story, things with 'Anywhere But Here' have just been demanding my full attention these past two weeks. On another note...to all of you that reviewed and wished me a Happy Birthday, and I didn't manage to get to send you a reply before posting this chapter, THANK YOU!! You guys rock! I tried to respond to as many reviews as I could, but there are still a ton in my inbox that I haven't had the chance to get to. You are not forgotten if you haven't heard from me yet I swear! I do try to respond to as many reviews as I can with at least a thank you, so I sincerely apologize if you've been waiting for one. Thank you all so much...your wishes were the best part of my birthday by far! ^_^**

**To anyone who is looking forward to the beginning 'Anywhere But Here', the launch date is set for this Friday. There's already an insane amount of fanart, banners, and a playlist for the story. Check it all out on the Forum thread for TOF. There's a link in my profile to get there...there's one to get to the playlist for ABH as well. I need to give a HUGE shoutout to Juliebly and Simona who have been borderline insane with their support for both stories. They're freakishly amazing women and I've been having a blast shooting the shit with them over on the TOF thread with Tasha (Lovebuggkiss...hey I spelled it right again...I'm getting better at this shizz) who is my co-author for ABH. You all should come and hang with us! We're fun I swear! And if you sift through all of our posts you'll find a teaser or two for ABH ^_^. Hope to see you all there!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, though I wish I did. They are all property of SM.

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Oh Life...How I've Missed Thee

BPOV

Edward called and woke me up first thing Wednesday morning, before he and Emmett got started on their day. The call didn't last long, but I relished in having his voice being the first thing I heard when I awoke. I had spent the remainder of the night prior thinking about whether or not I'd actually be able to bring myself to move to the island. While the idea of it was entertaining, it hurt to think of all the things I would miss with being so far away from Rosalie, Alice, Emmett, and Jasper as they started their own lives together. It also hurt to think of the remaining time I'd miss out on being able to share with my grandmother. Over the two years that I had locked myself away from the world, she was the only person I had kept in near constant contact with, and occasionally managed to pull myself out of the bed for when she'd ask me to come visit. Those times were really the only times I left my apartment upon my own free will, and they were very few and far between.

After breakfast, and visiting the laundry facility for the second time in two days, I escaped to the front porch while Jasper busied himself with manning the grill for lunch, and Ali and Rose sunned themselves on the back deck. My sunburn had faded over the previous two days and the idea of laying out there and frying wasn't all that appealing to me. The tenderness was finally gone, and with Edward hopefully coming home that night, I wasn't about to burn myself again and not be able to thoroughly enjoy our reunion. Instead, I took my book, that was actually quite good once you got past the first eighty pages or so, and my mojito that Jasper had made and sat out on the front porch to read. I had only been out there for about fifteen minutes when my phone rang and I fished it out of my pocket to answer it, hoping it would be Edward.

"Damn," I grumbled to myself as I looked at the number flashing across the screen. It wasn't Edward, it was my mother.

"Hello?" I answered as I closed my book and tossed it on the little table next to me.

"Isabella, where in the hell have you been?" she demanded.

"On vacation, mom. Sorry but my phone was off for about a week. I left you an e-mail the other day telling you where I was," I replied as I stretched my legs out in front of me.

"You should have told us you were going away before you left. We've been worried sick over you. Jacob said he couldn't find you and then said that when he talked to you, you wouldn't tell him where you were," she ranted and I rolled my eyes.

"Mom, it isn't any of Jacob's business where I am, and I told him as much."

"Isabella, that isn't very nice. He wants to work things out with you. He cares about you. Enough is enough, you need to stop all this nonsense and put your life back together. You two should be married with kids by now," she huffed and I damn near snorted.

"You're right. Enough _is_ enough, and I'm tired of hearing about anything related to Jacob. It's over, Renee. _Over_. You and Charlie need to hear that, understand it, and accept it, because it's never going to change. There will never be a Bella Swan and Jacob Black wedding so get that shit out of your heads already. Besides...I met someone else," I said and then bit my lip as a cheesy grin began to spread across my lips.

"What? Who? Bella you better not be pulling my leg just to get me to shut up about Jacob," she said, barely managing to contain her excitement. The only reason she ever pushed so hard for me to work things out with Jacob was because he was the only person I had ever been with. It wasn't that she wanted me with him so much as she just didn't want me to be alone. She could never imagine someone _wanting _to be alone.

"His name is Edward, and I met him here on vacation," I said and she gasped.

"What's he like? Where's he from? What does he do?" she rambled and I chuckled.

"Whoa, whoa...one at a time. He's perfect, sweet, and inhumanly beautiful. He's originally from Chicago, but he lived in California and Alaska for a while before moving here to the island to live with his aunt and uncle who own the island. And he trades stocks for a living."

"So he's a stock broker?" she asked.

"No, mom. He invests in stocks and then sells them when he can make a profit. Kind of like a stock broker but he does it for himself, not for other people," I explained and she hummed.

"But if he lives on the island then how's that going to work when you come back home?" she asked and I braced myself to answer her.

"I'm thinking of asking him to come back with me. He already said he would on more than one occasion."

"Ohhh, Isabella...you're father's not going to be pleased to hear that, and I can't exactly say that I am either. What if he's just using you, honey? That man can take you to the cleaners if you're not careful," she said and I narrowed my eyes.

"First of all, I'm not a child. I'm damn near twenty five years old and can make decisions regarding my life on my own. Secondly, he has no reason to ever _need_ anything from me. He comes from an entire family of successful people, and he's done quite well for himself. And last, but certainly not least, you two need to accept this decision because it's either me asking him to move up to Seattle with me, or me moving here to be with him. There's no other option that's acceptable for either of us. He's it for me, mom. He's the one I want to spend the rest of my life with," I responded confidently and she sighed.

"Alright, alright...I'll try to talk to your father, but you better be prepared for that heated phone call tonight. You know how he gets, Bella," she said with a slightly warning tone. I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"I'm well aware of what his reaction will be, mom, but it isn't going to change anything. I love him and I refuse to be without him. It's as simple as that," I stated.

"When are you coming home? Are you at least going to bring him by so we can meet him?"

"A little over two weeks, and if he comes back with me then yes, at some point I'll bring him by so you can meet him," I replied, cringing slightly at the idea of Edward meeting my parents.

"Okay, well give me a call when you get home, and give your Grammie a call. She was asking about you yesterday," she said and I smiled slightly.

"I will. I'll call her right now, mom. I'll talk to you later. I love you," I said quickly.

"Love you too, honey," she replied and I ended the call. I ran back into the villa to get a refill on my drink out of the pitcher in the fridge and made my way back out onto the porch to call my Grammie.

I spent a good long while talking with her, and unlike my mother, she was thrilled to hear about Edward possibly coming with me back to Seattle. I probably talked about him for a straight hour and she couldn't get enough. That's what I loved about my Grammie, if something made me happy, she was thrilled about it and wanted to know every detail in great length. I promised her that we'd come and visit as soon as we got there if he came along, and if not I'd swing by and visit anyway.

"So you're really gonna ask him to come back with you?" I heard Alice's voice ask softly from behind me. I spun, slightly startled as my hand flew to my chest, and she giggled quietly as she moved to take the seat next to me.

"Uh...yeah. I think I am," I replied as a smile began to spread across my face.

"Are you going to ask him to stay with you or is he going to be getting his own place?" she asked curiously and I bit the side of my lip.

"Do you think it would be crazy of me to ask him to live with me? I mean, I just don't see the point of him paying for his own place when we'd probably be together most of the time anyway," I rambled as I looked at her anxiously.

That was the part of my decision that confused me the most. Would he want his own place for a while before we moved in together, if we moved in together, or would he just want to take the giant plunge in one step? I wasn't sure. I mean since we had been together we hadn't spent a night apart until the night prior, and that was only because he was over in Brazil. She shook her head with a soft smile on her lips, chuckling lightly before looking up at me.

"Bella...if living together makes you happy, then so be it. Life isn't always meant to be planned and paced with every step. Sometimes it's the things that make the least amount of sense to outsiders that make the most amount of sense to ourselves. If you're worried about what other people would think, just stop. The only thing that matters is what makes the two of you happy, not the rest of the world," she said and I nodded as I tried to use her words to subdue my anxiety.

"However, if you do ask him to live with you...for the love of all that's holy don't make him live in that shit box of an apartment," she grumbled and I cracked up.

"Ohhh...God Ali...Thank you. I needed that," I chuckled as I wiped away at my eyes and she snickered.

"I hadn't planned on it. I was actually looking at some new furniture the other day online for the house," I said and she started bouncing in her seat.

"Bella...you have to let me help you redecorate!" she squealed. "Come on...that house is _gorgeous_ and that whole hodgepodge motif you had going on in there just didn't work."

"Shut up...the furniture was cheap and functional, that's all I cared about," I chuckled as I swatted at her.

"Yeah cheap is an accurate description of the shit. You put a better living room set and bedroom set in that shit hole apartment than you did in your house. What's up with that?" she asked and I snorted.

"I didn't choose what's in the apartment. Rose did, remember? I had packed an airbed and she went on a tangent and bought all that shit for the apartment with my credit card," I scoffed.

"I forgot about that," she chuckled.

"I was thinking about talking to Emmett about some of the things in the house that I'd like to change," I said suddenly and she looked at me curiously.

"I really love the bathrooms here," I said and blushed slightly. Thankfully she didn't call me out on it and allowed me to continue. "I was thinking of ripping the master bathroom apart and making something like what's here."

"You know, that master bathroom in that house is the only room I can't stand. It's huge, but the space is wasted," she said with a thoughtful expression. "Let's go talk to Jasper about it. Maybe he can think up something while we're here."

I nodded as I followed behind her, and he was just setting the food out on the table as we walked through the doors onto the deck. Alice mentioned what I had been thinking of quickly and he disappeared into the villa only to come back out minutes later with her sketch pad and some pencils in hand. I sat next to him at the table and described what the room looked like, lacking the ability to give him accurate measurements at the moment, but he was able to draw up some rough sketches while we ate.

"Okay, based on the description you gave me of the room, we should be able to knock this wall down right here and expand the room a bit to make the alcove tub. I drew up a couple different variations of fixture placements and such for you to choose from," he said as he passed me the sketchbook. Ali, Rose, and I perused through them and we all stopped dead on the second to last one. It was perfect and I could just imagine it already.

Based on the way he had drawn it out, he created a vanity area just inside the entry way, with access on the opposite side to my walk in closet. There was an enclosed bathroom area with a simple sink and toilet right next to it, and beyond that was the bathroom of my dreams. There was a double basin sink atop a giant cabinet, with a mirror spanning the length of it. Along the back wall was the walk in shower, complete with the glass block dividing wall, and set in the left side of the room, around the corner from the privacy bathroom, was the alcove set tub. It was beautiful.

"Depending on the structure of your attic and roof, we can place skylights over the tub and shower, and even put a garden window with a ledge behind the tub depending on whether that wall lines up with the outside or inside of the house," he said as he pointed to areas on the diagram.

"How much would it cost to do something like this?" I asked curiously. He pursed his lips and thought about it for a minute as I waited.

"Depending on what kind of materials you wanted to use, and whether or not you wanted the windows added in, I'd say somewhere between six and twenty thousand dollars," he said and my eyes bugged out as he chuckled.

"If you chose to do something like granite in the shower and on the floors, the price goes up significantly. Granite in tiles is cheaper, but holds up better in slabs, like the way we have it here. The price is also affected by the quality of fixtures that you choose, like the tub, shower fixtures, lighting fixtures, and such," he said and I nodded as I chewed on my lip.

"I'll let you in on a little secret though," he said as he leaned toward me slightly. I raised my eyebrows up at him as a lazy grin spread across his mouth.

"If you give Emmett the pout he'll have it done for you at cost, and it'll be finished by the time you get home," he said and I snorted as I rolled my eyes.

"Bullshit. I couldn't do that to him anyway even if it was a possibility," I said as I waved my hand around and he laughed.

"How do you think Esme got him to put this resort together?" he laughed.

"She's his mother, Jasper. He would have done it for her anyway," I retorted and he shrugged as he nodded.

"He'd do it for you too though. You may not realize it but he's got a real soft spot for you. To him, you're like his baby sister, and there isn't much he _wouldn't _do for you," he said and my eyes widened.

"What?" I muttered as a strange feeling coursed through me. He always reminded me of a big brother, but to have someone tell me that that's exactly how he saw himself, as my big brother, was...mind boggling.

"It's true Bells," Rose said softly and my gaze shot to her as she smiled softly and nodded.

"I'm so jealous," Alice chuckled as I bit my lip, trying to absorb all of it.

"Oh cork it pixie...he loves you too, but he's got some serious attachment going on to two-tone over there," Rose chuckled and they all laughed as I fought off my stupid smile at the new nickname.

"Why though? Why me?" I asked. Jasper shrugged and leaned back in his chair as Rosalie leaned forward and eyed me momentarily.

"You really want to know why?" she asked and I nodded.

"It's because you remind him of himself. If he ever had a little sister, you're everything he ever imagined she would be," she said and my eyes misted. I had thought the same thing of him the night of the luau when he pulled me down the beach.

"He told you that?" I asked as things started to click together in my head. The way he always called me baby girl or little one. The way he always looked at me differently than Alice or Rosalie. The way he seethed with anger after what happened with Tyler. I'd had a hard time telling who was angrier, him or Edward. It had been a very close call between the two of them.

"Yeah, it came out one night when we were talking about...well don't get mad...but about you and why we dragged you here," she said as she grimaced slightly. I chuckled humorlessly and shook my head.

"I'm not mad...a little ashamed, but not mad," I responded as Jasper got up and asked if we all wanted more drinks. We nodded and he headed into the villa.

"I just don't understand how he had such a drastic effect on you. Two years, Bells. That's a long time to mourn over the end of a relationship, and not even a good one at that," she said as she shook her head and I sighed.

"It wasn't just the end of the relationship, Rose. It was a lot of things, but it mostly revolved around my own insecurities. It's no secret that I have some severe issues with myself that I haven't been able to get over, you both know that. At some point I convinced myself that Jacob was the only person that would ever see me as anything more than a friend, and when he left that final time, I was convinced that my chance at sharing a life with someone was gone, that I had messed it up somehow, that I had ruined my only chance at having that lifelong companionship. I realize how stupid that was now, but it didn't stop me from drowning myself in my own self created misery and berating myself on a daily basis for not being more than what I was...what I am," I said and their faces softened as they listened.

I figured that they'd be pitying me, but the looks on their faces weren't ones of pity or even sympathy...they looked almost _empathetic_ as if they understood what I was feeling at the time, which I couldn't understand for the life of me.

"Bells...you do realize that you're not the only person that ever thinks that way, right?" Alice asked softly as she put a hand on my shoulder. I furrowed my brow at her, wondering how she would even know what that felt like.

"I'm not going to say that I know what it feels like to sink that deep into that deep of a state of depression, but I do understand the loneliness and feeling like you're never going to find the person you're meant to be with. I just never allowed those feelings to consume me the way you did. I managed it the only way I knew how...I put on a happy face and kept going until those feelings subsided," she said and Rosalie nodded.

"It happens to everyone at some point, Bells, and it has nothing to do with having admirers or not. You can date as many people as you want, but if they're not the one that makes you happy, you feel lonely anyway. That was your biggest problem with Jake. Even though you two were in a relationship, you still felt lonely because the two of you didn't connect on that level, regardless of how hard you tried to force that connection. Why do you think I never stayed with any of the people I dated? I still felt lonely even though I was with them," Rosalie said and I bobbed my head around as I thought through her words.

"I wish I would have said something to the two of you about it at some point during those two years. I just didn't think you'd understand what I was feeling," I said and they both scoffed at me with quirked eyebrows.

"Even if we didn't understand it, we would have tried to," Rose said and Alice nodded.

"Alright...enough of this wallowing. I don't want to think about the dark times any of us have been through. I have a gorgeous boyfriend who I love to death, and so do the two of you...there's no point to thinking about this shit anymore," Alice said with finality and Rose and I chuckled.

"Bella?" Jasper called from the doorway and I looked up at him. "Edward's on the phone, he asked for you." My brow furrowed as I wondered why he didn't just call my phone, and I got up to take Jasper's phone from him.

"Edward? Is everything okay?" I asked as I put the phone to my ear and made my way toward the living room.

"Yeah," he sighed, sounding exhausted. "Everything is fine love, but I don't think we're going to make it back tonight. We're just now leaving our second stop. We have one more place to go, but we're still a little over three hours out and there's a place we have to stop in at on the way back to try and have this stuff shipped in from now on. I'm sorry baby. I really wanted to be back tonight," he said and I frowned.

"It's okay. It's just one more night, right?" I asked, hoping it wouldn't be longer than that.

"Yeah, if we can't make it to that place before they close, we'll be back by early afternoon at the latest," he replied and I nodded as I bit my lip, fighting off a chuckle as Emmett hollered a "hey baby girl!" in the background and Edward grumbled at him to stop yelling.

"Sorry...he's an ass what can I say..._Emmett cut it out I'm not giving you the phone_," he grumbled again, his voice sounding distant as I heard them scuffling in the background.

"I hope you guys aren't driving," I chuckled as they continued arguing.

"Ha! I got it! Whatcha gonna do now big man?" Emmett laughed distantly.

"Baby girl!" he called out mirthfully.

"Hi Emmett," I chuckled.

"What are you up to doll? Ya miss me yet?" he chuckled as Edward grumbled something in the background.

"Hangin' at the villa with everyone, and yes I miss you both very much," I said as I smiled.

"Who do you miss more? Me or Mr. Pissy Pants?" he chuckled and I laughed.

"Loaded question, Em...that's not fair," I chuckled.

"Damn...thought I'd get one by ya. Alright, tell Rosie I love her and I'll call her in a bit. I'll give you back to Mr. Pissy Pants so he'll stop sulking like a three year old with wet pull ups," he laughed.

"Bye Em," I chuckled.

"Ever wish someone consulted you before creating the people that are bound to you by blood?" Edward asked as he took the phone back.

"Awww...don't think that way. If that was possible, he might have asked for me and we'd be committing incest," I joked.

"Very true," he chuckled. "So I was talking to Jasper before, and he wants to take you guys out to do something fun tonight. Are you up for that?" he asked.

"What does he want to do?" I asked curiously.

"Alice and Rosalie really want to check out that club that Kelly was talking about. If you don't want to go, Jasper can bring you back to the house. I'd feel much better with you there than at the villa if you're going to be alone," he replied.

"I'll go, it'll be good to get out with the girls. It's been a while since we've done anything like that. Are you sure you're okay with it though? You said you didn't want us going there without all of you."

"As long as you promise not to wander off on your own, and you all stick together, we'll be okay with it. Jasper knows the area well and he's familiar with the place. We want you guys to have fun, not feel like you're being cooped up inside the villa," he said and I nodded as I listened.

"I wish you were going," I sighed.

"I know, I'm sorry. We'll all go together before you leave, I promise," he replied.

"I'm warning you ahead of time, I can't dance," I chuckled and he laughed.

"It's all in the leading, love," he said, and I heard the smile in his voice.

"You better wear some steel toed shoes anyway...just to be on the safe side," I joked. His laugh was soft and trailed off to a sigh.

"I miss you so much," he said. The longing in his voice pulled at my heart strings and had me rubbing my chest to calm the pang that was reverberating through it.

"I miss you too, Edward. You two should get back to work though. The sooner you get it done, the sooner you can get home," I told him, wishing that it were possible for him to come back that night instead of the following day.

"Emmett's driving so I have a while yet to talk to you...unless you need to go do something," he said and I shook my head as I smiled.

"No, no. I have nothing I need to do," I assured him quickly and he chuckled.

"Oh hey, Emmett was talking to Esme earlier, and it seems that the family is planning one of those giant reunions again. Do you think it would be possible for all of you to stay an extra week or two so you can be there for it?" he asked. I laughed at the images of Edward, Emmett, and Jasper trying to run with their legs all tied together, and then paled as I thought about having to do it myself.

"Are you sure you want me there for that? I mean...I'm not good at any of those games and I wouldn't want to be the cause of you losing your champion reign if we ended up being teamed together," I chuckled.

"Bella, I'd be the happiest loser on the island if I got paired with you," he laughed.

"Okay...lemme go ask the girls," I said as I got up off the couch and made my way back out onto the deck.

"Ali, Rose? Edward and Emmett want to know if we'll be able to stay an extra week or two..."

"Already two steps ahead of ya, Bells. I'm rescheduling our flights home as we speak," Alice said as she waved me off, not taking her focus off of the laptop in front of her.

"Jasper told us already. You're okay with staying right?" Rose asked. I nodded and smiled as I took the seat next to her.

"Apparently we're staying," I chuckled into the phone.

"Great, they should all be coming in sometime at the end of what would have been your last week," he said excitedly. I smiled at how happy he seemed at the moment.

"Exactly how many people are coming?" I asked curiously.

"Oh hell...probably around thirty or so I'm guessing," he replied.

"Where is everyone staying?"

"Umm...mostly at the resort... in the suites. You, Alice, and Rosalie will be okay staying with us at the house right? I mean, if you're more comfortable staying in the villa you can, we just figured..."

"Edward, calm down. We'll be fine staying with all of you at the house," I laughed as Rose and Ali nodded exuberantly.

"You're sure?" he asked and I laughed.

"Yes, we're sure," I chuckled.

"Okay, love. Esme and Carlisle should be coming in at the beginning of the week following next, so you'll all be able to get to know them before everyone else shows up."

"I'm looking forward to it. You didn't tell her who I am did you?" I asked nervously.

"No," he chuckled. "I want to see her reaction too badly."

"That's so wrong," I laughed, "but it's funny at the same time."

"Love, Emmett's buggin' me to get off the phone. We're getting close to our next stop," he said and I pouted.

"Okay honey. Don't work too hard, and call me tonight. I love you," I said, earning myself cheeky grins from everyone at the table around me. I blushed faintly at the sound of his ghostly chuckle through the phone.

"I'll try not to, and I most definitely will call you tonight. I love you too. I'll talk to you later," he replied. I said my final goodbyes and hung up the phone and placed it on the table.

"You're going to the club with us tonight right?" Rose asked and I nodded as I smiled.

"Jasper, we need to go into town. I saw a few dresses when we were there yesterday that would be perfect for tonight," Alice said as she closed the laptop and pushed it toward Rose.

"We better get goin' then," he said as he stood from the table. I followed suit and gathered my purse and a pair of flip flops before meeting them out in the living room.

Jasper drove us into town, down to the shops, and Alice practically ripped Rosalie and me from the backseat as we laughed. We almost had to run behind her just to keep up as she darted into a store and went straight for a section filled with dresses. I almost lost my lunch when I saw the style of them. They were all short, sexy, and _very_ revealing.

"Bella, calm down," she chuckled as she pulled a black strapless dress off a rack and passed it to me. "I think you'd look amazing in this one."

"Where's the rest of it?" I joked. She swatted at me and pointed to a dressing room. I took my cue and made my way toward it as she and Rosalie continued to sift through the dresses. Once I got the dress on, I had to admit, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined it would be. It had a cross wrap design and a gemstone string halter, and it wasn't overly tight or revealing.

"Get your ass out here, Bells...I wanna see it on you!" Alice hollered. I laughed and pulled the curtain aside.

"EEEEE!!!! IT'S PERFECT!" she squealed. I bit my lip and looked down at the dress. When I looked back up, Jasper was crossing the store with an expression on his face that made me blush and become nervous.

"What? What is it?" I asked worriedly as I tried in vain to see all sides of the dress at once.

"Edward's gonna kill me if I let you out in _that_," he said and I bit my lip as Alice swatted him.

"She looks perfect. We'll take a picture so next time he won't miss the moment when she actually wears something like _that_," she said, stressing her last word as she pointed at me.

"Alright girls...honest opinions," Rosalie said as she strode out of her dressing room, still adjusting her dress. My jaw hit the floor as I took in what she was wearing. It was blood red, tight as sin, overly revealing, and totally fucking Rosalie circa five years prior.

"It's...Rose did you get into a fight with it and win? Where did the rest of it go?" I asked sincerely. No matter what she wore she always looked flawless, but even that was going a bit far for her. She rolled her eyes at me and turned to Alice who was puckering her lips and shaking her head.

"Rose...honey I love you, but I think it's time we start leaving the skank wear behind," she chuckled.

"I am getting too old for this shit...aren't I?" she asked and we nodded to her. "Bella...you go pick something out for me. I wanna see what you come up with."

"Why me? Alice is the fashion guru here, not me. I'll wind up bringing you back something fitted for a funeral or some shit," I laughed and she shook her head at me.

"Bells...you just stepped out of a dressing room in the first thing Ali pushed on you and you're not fighting against it. Something in you changed, so get to it. Go pick me out something," she said and I eyed her for a moment with my lip stuck in my teeth before wandering off to look through the racks, leaving her and Ali behind whispering something to each other.

_Something red, tight, sexy...red, tight, sexy..._ I repeated to myself mentally as I shuffled my way through the sea of barely there club wear. I had started to lose hope of finding anything like what I had in mind for her as I stood among clothing that only brought thoughts like too revealing, not the right color, and the occasional mental shriek/cringe combo, when my eyes landed on the proverbial needle in a haystack. It was perfect for her_._

It had a banded top, tight skirt, and a flap of material that came up from the skirt and tied around the neck...and it was red too. I felt like the goddamn Dahli Lama of fashion as I pulled her size off the rack and walked back toward them, holding it out to her with a confident grin. She smirked at me and disappeared behind the curtain of her dressing room as Alice clapped and practically skipped her way into hers. I disappeared behind my own curtain to change back into my clothes quickly, and slipped the dress back onto its hanger.

When I stepped back out, Jasper was looking at Ali in a way that made me want to run for the hills in fear of what his next move would be. He seriously looked as though he were about to devour her right there on the spot as he took slow, calculated steps toward her.

"Bells...you are the fucking shizz girlie. I love it!" Rosalie chimed as she thrust her curtain open and stepped out, breaking Alice and Jasper's concentration on each other. He cleared his throat and looked over at her with eyes as wide as saucers.

"Are you two trying to get me killed by my cousins?" he asked seriously. We all looked at each other and snickered.

"Jazz, honey. This is how we go clubbing...it's how we've always gone clubbing," Alice said as she rubbed his arm in a comforting gesture.

"I'll let you three explain that to them at my funeral," he chuckled as he shook his head and went to sit down on a padded bench against the wall.

"So you really like it?" I asked as I grinned. She nodded and did a 360 in front of a 3-way mirror, taking in the dress in its entirety.

"Okay, so we have dresses...now we need shoes," Alice said as she wandered off to a wall of shoes that had me afraid for my life...and possibly the lives of others as well.

"Ali...I think I should just stick with a pair of ballet flats or something," I said nervously. She scoffed and pointed at me as Rosalie started laughing.

"You are not going to disgrace that dress with ballet flats," she said sternly before turning back toward the wall.

"Rose, are you going with red or silver with that dress?" she asked as she focused on the wall in front of her.

"Silver...fuck it. They'll go with the gems at the top," she said and Alice pulled a pair of rhinestone studded heels off the wall and passed them to her. She then pulled a pair of gladiator style, metallic and bronze pair off the rack, with polished stone accents on them and handed them to me. I quirked a brow at her and she smirked as she winked and turned back to the wall silently, looking for a pair for herself. I went and sat next to Rose to try them on, with visions of a bloody massacre in a club running through my head.

"Damn those shoes are hot...wanna trade dresses?" Rose chuckled. I rolled my eyes at her and laughed.

"Hell no...I could never pull that dress off the way you can," I said truthfully.

"Try and walk in them...it's been a while since you've been in heels that high," she said with a soft smile, probably remembering all the times we'd been clubbing in the past. I finished fastening them to my feet, and got up to take a stroll through the store. I swore they would kill my feet, but surprisingly they weren't all that uncomfortable. It just felt a little awkward familiarizing myself with walking in them again.

"Okay, Rose...these things are staying on my feet until we get ready to go. I need to remember how to walk in them," I laughed as I watched my feet while walking back toward her.

"Alright ladies...hand em over so I can pay," Alice said and I shook my head as I held out my hands toward them.

"I'm paying...you guys payed for this whole vacation. I'm picking this bill up," I said with a smile. They handed over their dresses and shoes and I wobbled my way up to the register, laughing at myself in all of my awkward glory. I payed for all of our merchandise, including my shoes after pulling the tag off the bottom of them, and cringed slightly as I swiped my credit card. How close to a grand was worth three dresses, and three pairs of shoes was baffling, but I payed it anyway.

We walked through some of the other stores, well they walked and I stumbled while laughing, and picked out some accessories for the night. With all of our jewelry, clutches, undergarments, and an outfit for Jasper in tow, we headed back to the resort.

We took a dip in the hot tub for a while before going to dinner early and starting our night out ritual from years before. Rosalie blasted the music in the villa, and Alice sent Jasper back to his villa to get ready, not wanting him around while we were all running around and dancing in our undergarments. Ali and Rose did my hair, leaving it in cascading waves down my shoulders and back, with a slight "just sexed up" look as Rosalie called it, and gave me a dramatic smoky eye and clear pink tinted gloss on my lips before sending me to get dressed. I had always enjoyed going clubbing with them, but for some reason I was more excited than ever before that night. I found myself dancing around and smiling as I got dressed and attached my earrings and bronze swirled arm band.

I put my lip gloss, phone, some cash, and my ID in my clutch, fastened my shoes to my feet, and I was ready and raring to go. Alice came out a few minutes later and dusted my shoulders and chest with some shimmer powder before disappearing to put her shoes on. She looked amazing in her flowing chartreuse mini dress and black heels with chains flowing from the ankle strap to the toe strap. Rose came out of her room just a few minutes later, looking every bit of the clubbing goddess that she was, grinning and practically vibrating with excitement.

"We have to do a shot before we go," she said excitedly as she dashed for the kitchen. Ali and I followed behind her and took the shot glasses of Cuervo and lime wedges from her when she passed them to us.

"To the good old days," I said as I held up my shot glass.

"To the nights like this that we've been missing," Alice said as she chuckled and bumped her shoulder into me.

"Fuck that...to a night that will always be part of our memories, as long as we can still remember it in the morning," Rosalie laughed as Ali and I cracked up and clinked our glasses into hers. We tossed our shots back, and sucked on our lime wedges, still chuckling to ourselves.

"Is it safe to come back in yet?!" Jasper called from the front door.

"Yes! We're totally indecent and getting a head start on intoxication!" Alice yelled back, her musical laughter filling the kitchen area as Jasper's chuckle emanated from the hall...mixed with the chuckles of other people. My eyebrows pulled together as I leaned to see who was coming down the hall with him.

He entered the kitchen with two tall and good looking men with him. One had dirty blond hair, a bit darker than Jasper's, blue eyes and a charming smile, and the other was dark haired with a goatee and piercing hazel eyes.

"Who are your friends?" Alice asked, forming the question that was on the tip of my tongue.

"Oh..sorry. This is Jason, Kelly's husband, and his friend Garrett," he said as he pointed to the dark haired guy first and then the other man.

"Jason, Garrett, this is Alice, Bella, and Rosalie," he said as an introduction. They both stepped forward to shake our hands and smiled friendly smiles.

"Where is Kelly?" I asked curiously.

"She's still getting ready. She should be here any minute," Jason said. We nodded and Rosalie offered them a drink. Kelly came in just as Rose was finishing pouring the second round of shots for all of us, and she grabbed another shot glass to fill for her. She looked fabulous in her electric blue, drape front, halter mini dress. It was almost the same color as her eyes. Kelly took it from her and laughed as she held it up in front of her and Jason wrapped an arm around her.

"To Garrett finding someone to go home with other than us, because he's putting a dent in my couch," she said and we all laughed as we clinked our glasses and tossed our shots back.

"You guys don't mind if Kate comes along, do you? She called about an hour ago complaining that she was bored. I kind of invited her to come alone," Jasper said. We all laughed and told him it would be fine as we moved toward the front of the villa.

We ended up having to take two of the resort trucks over to the marina so that no one had to sit on anyone else's lap during the short ride. Walking in my shoes was getting easier, and I didn't feel quite as awkward as I had when I had first tried them on. Had it not been for Jasper, Jason, and Garrett helping us all on Emmett's boat though, I'm fairly certain I wouldn't have been the only one with a broken neck or sprained limbs at the very least.

"Are you guys excited?" Kelly asked as we took up seats inside the cabin, away from the breeze and ocean spray that would ruin our hair, make up, and outfits once we started moving. I nodded as Ali and Rose chimed in to her.

"Maybe Kate and Garrett will hit it off," I said suddenly, having no idea where that random thought had come from.

"You think? It's a wonder they haven't ever met before. He's been to the island hundreds of times, but their paths have never crossed. At least not that I'm aware of," Kelly said.

"They'd make a cute couple," Alice commented as Rosalie and I nodded.

"Well, if they do I just hope that Diane and Marcus are okay with it. He's a bit older than she is," Kelly said with a slightly worried expression.

"How old are they?" I asked curiously.

"Kate is twenty one, and Garrett is twenty seven," she said and I waved my hands around.

"That's not bad. It's only six years, besides, I don't think it would be age that would turn her parents against any of her suitors. They have this...thing...call it intuition or whatever, where they think they can tell when people are destined to be together," I chuckled.

"I heard about that," Kelly laughed. "I've never experienced it, but I've heard all about it."

"So how did you guys manage to get Jasper to bring you to the club? I thought Emmett and Edward were against it," she asked.

"Edward said they were fine with it as long as we all stuck together," I said as I shrugged. She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes for a moment while she looked at the three of us on the couch.

"They're up to something...I don't know what it is...but they're up to something," she said and my stomach flipped.

"Like what?" I asked worriedly.

"When it comes to them...who knows. They might be trying to do something on the island without all of you there for all I know, but they're definitely up to something. Whatever it is I wouldn't worry about it though. It's bound to be something good," she said and I started breathing again.

"Do you think it has something to do with that family reunion that Esme's planning?" I asked and she shrugged.

"Esme told me about that earlier. Are you guys planning on staying for it?" she asked and we nodded.

"Just a little piece of advice. Stay away from Jane as much as you can. She's a bitch and she's had a thing for each of the guys for as long as I have known all of them. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to club her with a pair of shoes like the kind I'm wearing right now," she chuckled.

"Ew...they're family," Alice cringed and I laughed.

"Ali...they're not really family remember?" I chuckled.

"That's still gross. That would be like me having a crush on Nathan. He's not blood related but he's still family, and that's just nasty," she said as she shook her head.

"Oh my _God_...Who in the hell was that hottie up in the tower with your husband?" Kate swooned as she stepped into the cabin, taking me by damn near complete surprise as I'd had my back to the door.

"That's Garrett," Kelly chuckled as Kate swatted her hip to tell her to move over and sank down in the reclining chair next to her.

"Where the hell have you guys been hiding him all this time?" she laughed, looking insanely gorgeous in her shimmering bronze, scowl neck mini dress, wind blown hair, and golden tan.

"On my freaking couch...do Jason and I a favor and get him off of it, will ya?" Kelly chuckled.

"My pleasure...are my favorite future cousins ready to pop and drop the night away?" Kate asked with a spark of excitement in her eye. Whether that spark was caused by our night of clubbing rapidly approaching, or Garrett, I had no idea, but I was definitely ready for a night of drinking and making an ass of myself on the dance floor.

_If only Rose and I weren't dancing solo tonight._.. I thought, refusing to ponder her future cousins comment, as the boat headed toward the mainland.

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**AN: There's a link on my profile for the girls' club outfits. This chapter was a beast so I had to split it in two...the next part should be posted on Friday, I just have to work out a few bugs in it. Don't forget to come by and hang with us on the Twilighted thread (link in my profile). We're usually there for a damn good portion of the night and off and on throughout the day. Stop by and say hello after reading this update! We'll be waiting for you! ^_^ . Reviews are the shizz...and they make my day...so throw me a bone...and send em my way! Hah! I'm a loser...I know...but I'm the coolest loser I've ever met! Much love to you all! ~Jersey~**


	17. Salsa The Rhythm of My Heart

**AN: ::ducks in corner:: Sorry? Before you all pummel me for being 4 days late with this shizz lemme ramble my excuses... This chapter was an epic FAIL when I re-read it after posting chapter 16. I don't want to hand you all complete crap to read. That's not my style...so I went back to the drawing board and with a little help from my dear friend Juliebly in the brainstorming department, we turned the FAIL into pure WIN. (Yeah okay...we'll judge that when you friggen post this shizz already! ~Tasha)...WHAT THE HELL TASHA! Stay on the ABH ANs will ya! ::rolls eyes:: Anyway...thank you so much Jules, Simone, and TASHA...for helping me through my most recent bout of writer's block. Thank them for this chapter finally making it to the posting stage! They are seriously some awesome chickadees and I have tons of fun hanging with them on the forums. You all should join us sometime! Without further ado...here's Chapter 17. Link to playlist for this chapter on profile. ENJOY!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, but they are fun to play with!

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Salsa...The Rhythm of My Heart

BPOV

"Is that? Is that Pitbull? Holy shit it is! I _love _this fucking song!" Rosalie screeched as we entered the club, dragging me behind her as she made a mad dash for the dance floor.

I don't know what the hell I was expecting on our limo ride over...but the club we entered wasn't it. It was typical in the sense that there were flashing lights, a smoky atmosphere, and loads of people, but the music was drastically different from what I had thought would be playing. From the sounds outside the door, it sounded like they played mostly Latin dance music. Hell I couldn't dance to the club music in Seattle...how the hell was I supposed to dance to Latin music?

"Who the hell is Pitbull?" I yelled at her back as she pulled me down a staircase leading to the dance floor.

"HEY! WAIT UP!" Jasper yelled, and I tried futilely to restrain her and not fall down the steps at the same time. I finally gave up pulling back on her arm when I realized it was either keep up with her and the grip she had on me, or take us both down to the ground the painful way.

"Rose! Slow down before I break something!" I laughed as she started dancing, spinning me in front of her as we made it to the edge of the dance floor. The bass coming out of the speakers was so loud it was vibrating the floor, or maybe it was from all the people dancing...I couldn't be sure.

"Come on Bells! Shake those hips girl!" she yelled as everyone else caught up to us. I laughed and threw my arms in the air with her, mimicking her actions.

"WOOO! Go girl!" Kelly cheered as she and Jason moved together. Kate was doing some provocative dance moves while using her finger to beckon Garrett. I almost laughed out loud at the look on his face as he walked in her direction. He looked completely dazed.

"Marcos!" Kelly squealed, throwing herself at a very handsome and tall man with dark hair and olive complexion. He laughed as he set her down and started dancing with her. I quickly looked at Jason to see his reaction as I kept up my motions. He didn't seem angry or even surprised that his wife had launched herself at another man. In fact, he laughed and made a motion asking her if she wanted something to drink as a new song came on. Once again, I didn't recognize it, but it was easy enough to dance to. Out of the corner of my eye as I turned toward Rose and Alice again, I saw Marcos and another man approaching us with Kelly.

"Girls, I want you to meet some people!" Kelly hollered over the music. We stopped dancing and all turned to face them, standing close so we could hear them.

"This is Marcos and Julio. They're regulars here, and _fantastic_ dancers," she laughed.

"This is Alice, Rosalie, Bella, and Kate," she shouted as she pointed to each of us. I held my hand out as Marcos approached me. He took it gingerly and kissed it quickly, making me blush and retract my hand, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the gesture. I didn't know if it was something he did to everyone or what.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Where is your escort for the evening?" he asked with a thick accent. I laughed nervously and shook my head.

"My boyfriend is somewhere in Brazil with his brother working," I said, trying to make it clear that I wasn't available...just in case. I didn't want to be stuck in some awkward situation later on.

"He's a lucky man," he said with a wink, and my discomfort grew significantly as I shot a look to Jasper. "You're very beautiful." Jasper caught my look and tipped his head back and laughed as he shook his head. I felt like I was missing some giant piece of a bigger picture as Rosalie winked at me and stepped away with Julio. They started dancing, and I shifted my attention back to Marcos.

_What the hell is going on? _

"Would you like to dance?" he asked, holding out his hand to me as the songs switched yet again. At least this one I recognized even though I couldn't understand it. I didn't know the name of it, but I knew it was by Enrique Iglesias.

"Um...I don't think my boyfriend would appreciate that very much, but thank you for the offer," I said, attempting to be as polite as possible in my decline of his offer.

"Why's that? My boyfriend is dancing with your friend. I don't see anything wrong with it," he said and I had to do a double take to make sure I'd heard him right.

"I'm sorry...what?" I asked, positive that I'd heard him wrong.

"My boyfriend...Julio, is dancing with your friend uhh Rosalie?" he said as he pointed at them again, and I almost chuckled at how her name sounded with his accent. It sounded like he'd said Roce Ali. It was cute, and almost enough to take away my embarrassment at thinking he was trying to pick me up.

"I'm sorry," I chuckled as I blushed. "I didn't realize...I thought you were trying to...never mind," I rambled and he laughed as he held out his hand again. I took it that time and he pulled me to him, guiding my movements with his hands on my hips and matching my rhythm to his.

"You thought I was trying to...how do they say it in America... pick you up?" he asked and I laughed as I nodded, looking down to make sure I didn't step on his feet.

"I'm sorry," I apologized again as he laughed.

"Don't be. I'm sure it happens all the time...men trying to pick you up I mean," he said as he twirled me around. I laughed and shook my head as I came back around to him.

"Never."

"How can that be? You are beautiful, surely the straight men see that if I can," he chuckled.

"They usually go for my friends, not me," I said truthfully. They usually spared me a glance but then gravitated toward them and away from me. For a long time I swore I had 'Bitch' tattooed across my forehead or something.

"Ahh...maybe your beauty makes them nervous. I was nervous the first time I spoke to Julio," he chuckled.

"Were you really? Why?" I asked curiously as the song came to an end.

"Because he is beautiful, and wealthy, and I did not think he would talk to me," he said as he shrugged while the DJ was speaking in a language I couldn't understand. Best guess I had was it was Spanish.

"How long have you been together?" I asked. He smiled as he looked over at Julio and Rosalie before looking down at me again.

"Five years now," he said and I smiled up at him.

"Would you like to dance with me tonight? Julio looks to be having fun with your friend," he chuckled. I smiled gratefully at him and nodded. He was extremely nice, and Edward couldn't fault me for dancing with a gay man. I almost chuckled at the thought, but froze when a new song started playing. It was straight up Latin style music, salsa or merengue I didn't know, but I knew I sure as hell didn't know how to dance to it.

"Have you ever danced to this? It's easy. I can teach you if you would like," he offered. I looked to Rosalie, who was laughing as Julio showed her how to move and bit my lip as I looked back at him. I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it, and I really started to worry about Marcos's poor toes as I took his hand.

"It's all in your hips," he said as he started to move. I bit my lip and tried to mimic his movements, and laughed as I had to restart a few times. Once I got the rhythm down I looked up at his face.

"Are you ready?" he asked. I smiled as I bit my lip and nodded, still maintaining my rhythm as he held his hand out to me. I took it and he spun me around suddenly so my back was to his chest, and matched my rhythm to his before spinning me back around. I squealed and laughed as he took one of my hands in his and wrapped an arm around my waist as he led us in a circle. I couldn't believe how much fun I was having, and I had yet to step on him.

"You're good at this," he laughed.

"No...you're just a good leader," I chuckled back as he spun me around again, bringing me back to his chest again to lead us in another circle. Once the circle was complete, he grabbed a hold of both of my hands again, and we returned to our forward and back stepping motions, where of course I managed to step on his foot.

"Sorry," I cringed. He laughed and shook his head as I fell back into the rhythm. He never broke his for a second.

"It's okay. You are doing wonderfully," he said. I chuckled and refocused on my footwork. When I felt comfortable again, I chanced a look around, and found Rosalie and Julio dancing like pros as he led them in some crazy quick spinning moves. Alice and Jasper looked like they were having a blast as he led her in the simple steps Marcos and I were doing. I had no idea where Kelly, Jason, Kate, and Garrett were though as I didn't spot them anywhere around us.

"How are they _doing _that?" I laughed as I looked back at Rosalie and Julio. I'd practically kill to have been able to dance the way they were.

"Do you want to try it? It's easy," he said with an encouraging smile.

"I don't think I'm coordinated enough for _that_, and I already stepped on you once," I laughed again.

"I'm sure you are, and I will prove it to you," he chuckled as he pulled me to him with my back against him and took my right hand with his left. Before I could have told you what was happening, he had spun me away from him and spun himself under my arm before bringing me back to him and picking up the pace as we moved in circles. I laughed hysterically as he moved us across the floor, adrenaline coursing through my veins as he led me through more quick paced steps. I only stumbled a bit during the first turn, but managed to correct myself quickly.

"GO BELLA!" Alice squealed as Marcos and I came face to face again with our hands together, moving forward and back before he led me into another set of twirls and turns. I hadn't noticed it before, but the dance floor had cleared around the four of us, Rosalie and Julio, and Marcos and I. I suddenly felt overly self conscious as I took in all of the faces watching us and clapping us on as we danced in circles.

_Oh Jesus...please don't let me fall and look like an ass in front of all these people... _I pleaded mentally as the crowd around us whistled and cheered the four of us on. Rosalie's squeal broke me out of my sudden case of the nerves and I found myself laughing again as I fell into a synchronized step with Marcos again.

"See...easy, yes?" he asked. I laughed and nodded, growing slightly bolder and adding a little more sway to my hips. He led us into one more synchronized spin and turn combo before the song came to an end and I fanned at my face as I laughed and the crowd burst into cheers and a round of applause.

"I need a drink," I chuckled.

"Shit girl...you and me both," Rosalie laughed breathlessly and Julio disappeared somewhere in the crowd.

"Oh my God! You guys were amazing!" Alice squealed as she ran up to us while clapping.

"I still can't believe I didn't fall straight on my ass!" I crowed through my laughter as the DJ came over the speakers yet again causing another burst of cheers to come from the crowd. At what, I had no freaking idea.

"What is he _saying_?" Rosalie laughed.

"He was telling everyone to cheer for us to do it again," Marcos chuckled. I laughed and shook my head.

"I need a drink first," I chuckled as another song came on. Thankfully it was slower but had a good dance beat to it. It wasn't anything like the last song, and Rosalie and Alice grabbed a hold of my arms as they started dancing.

"Jasper and Julio went to get drinks. I didn't know what to tell them to get us though," Alice shouted over the music. I just nodded as the four of us danced in a circle. I didn't care what they brought back as long as it was cold and liquid.

When they got back, my drink lasted all of about a minute and it was gone. Jasper laughed as he took the empty glass from my hand, passing it to Julio, and asked if I wanted another. I shook my head and maneuvered my way behind Marcos, sandwiching him between myself and Rosalie while Jasper, Alice, and Julio all danced together. Rosalie squealed as he started doing some really sexy moves between the two of us, alternating between dancing with her and with me. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had so much fun dancing.

When the song ended, I almost squealed as another fast paced song came on and Marcos grabbed a hold of my hands, immediately leading us into some quick paced footwork. I laughed and swayed my hips as I followed his steps. As if they had been expecting a show, the crowd parted again and started clapping us on. At some point I started to get dizzy so I closed my eyes, and envisioned myself dancing this way with Edward. Marcos led us in a circle, with my chest pressed to his, and then stepped back, letting go of one of my hands. I kept my eyes closed as I turned, now knowing the steps, and took his other hand again as his other one let go to wrap around my waist with my back against his chest. My hand tingled, a very familiar sensation that happened every time Edward touched me. I smiled at the vividness of my imagination as I continued to move with Marcos.

"Do you have any idea how fucking sexy you are?" a different voice asked. My breath hitched in my throat as my eyes shot open and he spun me away from him, allowing me to see the beautiful sight of my favorite person in the world. He was grinning crookedly at me as he moved fluidly to the music with his hand held out in my direction. A wide grin spread across my lips as he winked at me and pulled me back to him, pressing me tightly against him as we continued to move.

"Edward," I breathed, nearly coming to tears at the sight of him before me.

"I thought you said you couldn't dance," he chuckled as he ducked his head down for a kiss, which I gladly gave him.

"I can't," I laughed when we pulled apart.

"Bullshit...I saw you dancing with him...now I wanna see what you've got," he chuckled as he spun me away from him and grabbed both of my hands. I smiled as I fell into step, feeling confident that I could keep up with him after all the steps that Marcos had led me through.

"Are you jealous?" I teased as I quirked an eyebrow at him and grinned.

"No...but he will be when I'm done with you," he smirked."Try to keep up, love," he warned as he started leading me into footwork that wiped my teasing grin off my face instantly, and had me focusing on not falling flat on my face.

_Oh shit...What have I gotten myself into?..._

After doing some turn where I ended up behind him with my arms crossed over his shoulders, he did some fancy arm moves before stepping to the side, leading me into a turn and walking me back around to face him.

_Dear Lord how did he learn to dance like this?!... _I wondered as he laughed at my shocked face. He looked somewhere off in the crowed and nodded just once at someone. I tilted my head and saw Marcos grinning as he nodded back and clapped us on. It was then that I had realized the entire floor had cleared out. It was just Edward and I in the center moving in perfect unison.

"You set this up didn't you?" I accused as I narrowed my eyes and stepped back from him, feeling my confidence shoot through the roof since I had managed to make it out of his footwork without tripping, stumbling, or falling flat on my face.

"Only my being here... the crowd parted because they want a show. Are you ready to give them one?" he asked with a crooked smile. I quirked a brow at him, trying to avoid looking at the sinful way his hips were moving. I could have gotten lost watching that, and it most definitely would have broken my concentration.

"Come on, Bella...show me what you've got," he taunted with a smug grin.

_Screw it...you only live once... _I thought as I grinned back at him and winked before spinning myself into his arms with my back against him. He pulled me tightly against him, swaying his hips right along with mine as I raised my arms and flipped my hair with my hands. I wrapped them around his neck as I pressed myself against him and he groaned.

"You keep that up and they're gonna get more than a show," he said right in my ear before spinning me away from him. I smirked at him and fell right into step, waiting for him to start his fancy footwork again. He didn't hesitate for a second, and before I knew it we were spinning and turning all over the dance floor with the crowd going absolutely fucking wild.

"You have absolutely no idea how goddamn sexy you are," he said with a blazing gaze as he pulled me back against him, moving us in a tight circle with two of our hands clasped and his arm around my back. I never would have thought I was before, but I had a fairly good idea of how sexy I was to him judging by what was currently pressing into my stomach.

"You haven't seen sexy yet," I responded with a wink. "Just wait 'til tonight." His eyes closed and I swear I felt him twitch against me before his eyes opened again, smoldering down at me, causing a rush of heat to spread between my legs as we moved together.

"You really are going to be the death of me," he chuckled, stepping back again. I followed him around the dance floor, letting him lead my steps in and out of turns and spins as I grinned like a fool, loving the way we moved together so fluidly and naturally. Everything between us was like second nature, ingrained into us as though we had been created at the same exact time and split in two. That's exactly what he felt like to me... my other half. The half that had been missing my entire life. The song ended just as he pulled me back to his chest and bent down for a kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck as we stilled and sucked his bottom lip in between my own as I pulled back.

"I missed you," I said, doubting he heard me over the roar of cheers from the crowd. He grasped my face in his hands, caressing my cheeks with his thumbs as he brought his lips back to mine.

"I missed you too. I couldn't stand the thought of another night away from you," he replied as he pulled back. Another song started, but we stayed locked in each other's embrace, gazing into each other's eyes at the center of the dance floor as the crowd began dancing all around us. It didn't matter how many people were around us, I only saw him.

"You look absolutely breathtaking. Jasper tried to warn me ahead of time, but nothing could have prepared me for when I saw you. It took me a good five minutes to pull myself together enough to cut in," he chuckled as I bit my lip.

"How long were you watching me?" I asked, feeling slightly self conscious as he started to sway his hips.

"Long enough to know that you can, in fact, dance...and quite well I might add," he replied with a wink. I stepped back and fell into step with his rhythm. The song that was playing was a bit slower, so it was a lot easier to keep up with him without feeling winded or needing to hold my breath and say a silent prayer as we moved.

Of all the things I knew about Edward at that point, never, and I do mean never, would I have ever been able to guess that he was that good of a dancer. It didn't matter what kind of music came on, he moved with sinuous perfection and rhythm. By the time the DJ started announcing the last song of the night in both English and what I was told was Portuguese, not Spanish, I wasn't sure if the heat I was feeling was coming from the drinks, the actual temperature in the place, or him. I was fairly certain it was from him when I heard the word Lambada followed by a ghostly chuckle in my ear as warm lips attached to my earlobe. As the DJ continued speaking, the only thing that ran through my head was a scene from the movie Lambada, The Forbidden Dance the movie. Just thinking of moving with him that way had my knees growing weak while I suppressed a whimper as his lips pulled away from my ear.

"You ready to show me that sexy you promised earlier?" he asked as he turned me toward him. Again, more flashes from that damn movie ran through my head and the liquid courage I had been tossing back all night started to take effect. I smirked at him as the music started and stepped away from him, swaying my hips and moving around him in circles. When I came back around to the front of him and faced him after a few rounds, the look in his eyes damn near caused me to lose my rhythm and melt into a pile of goo on the floor. Thank God Rose squealed and broke my gaze with him. I looked to the side quickly and spotted our entire group standing off to the side, dancing in their spots as they watched on.

_Alright liquid courage...let's see what you're capable of... _I thought as I raised my arms, flipping my hair as I moved in a circle in front of him. I bit my lip and smiled as I came back around to face him, still moving my hips as I motioned with a finger for him to come to me. A round of high pitched squeals and cheers resounded as he grinned and started moving toward me.

His leg slid right in between mine as his right arm came around me and his left hand grasped my right. He bent me back, and placed a kiss just next to the polished stone on my chest before pulling me back up, turning us slightly before bending me back and forth again as we made our way around in circles. When he stood us back up straight, our hips fell into a perfect rhythm as he grinned down at me.

"Where in the hell did you learn to move like that?" he chuckled, and I nearly snorted.

"A movie from the nineties based on the dance," I laughed and he shook his head as he pulled me to his side and spun me away from him before pulling me back so I was basically sitting on his thigh. I tilted my head up and kissed him quickly before he spun me away from him again, earning another round of cheers and whistles as people started making their way back onto the dance floor to join us.

"Just so you know...this isn't the only forbidden dance I have planned for tonight," he said huskily in my ear as we came back together, moving our hips against each other. I shuddered as goose flesh covered my entire body while he guided our movements around the dance floor.

"What else do you have planned for tonight?" I nearly moaned.

"Only worshiping every inch of your delicious body until the sun comes up," he replied before dragging his teeth and lips over the lobe of my ear just above my earring. I couldn't hold it back that time, and I moaned as I gripped the back of his shirt.

_Dear God...does this song ever end?!... _I mentally groaned as he lead me through a round of fast paced twirls in circles. I didn't want to twirl anymore. Hell, I didn't want to dance anymore. I just wanted to run away with him and hole us up in privacy for a very, very, long time.

"How fond of that dress are you?" he asked as he pulled me back to him and we worked against each other again.

_Shit...if he keeps this up I'm gonna jump him right here..._

"Fairly...why?" I asked as I quirked a brow at him. How I was still managing to coordinate my speech with facial expressions was completely lost on me.

"Because I don't think it's gonna make it through the night," he smirked and then licked his lips.

"You keep talking like that and your shirt won't either...or your pants," I laughed.

"Talking like what? Telling you how I'm going to destroy every fabric barrier between us until I can feel just your skin against mine?" he asked. My head flopped back as my eyes shut and I moaned, entirely thankful for the loud music that was drowning out the sounds I was making as his mouth came down upon my neck, leaving hot wet kisses.

As my eyes fluttered open, I caught an upside down view of Marcos and Julio wearing nearly identical grins as they looked at the two of us while they danced. I blushed furiously and pulled myself upright, seriously questioning whether the music was as loud as I had thought it was when I heard their laughter.

"Edward, we need to go. These people aren't seeing a dance show anymore. They're seeing the beginning of a fucking porno," I said, still blushing like a madman.

"I couldn't agree with you more. I've almost destroyed that dress at least a dozen times already," he replied quickly and pulled me to his side as we started moving toward our group of friends.

"Hey man, we're leaving. We'll see you in the morning," Edward said as Emmett turned toward us.

"No earlier than eleven, bro," he replied as he nodded. I said a quick goodbye to the girls and Emmett and Jasper before making my way over to Marcos and Julio.

"We're leaving, I just wanted to say goodnight, and thank you for the dances," I said to Marcos as he stepped away from Julio. He held his arms out and I chuckled as I stepped into his embrace.

"He's a lucky man...make sure he remembers that," he said and then kissed my cheek. I blushed and nodded to him as I stepped back from him. I waved to them, and Julio winked as he pulled Marcos back against him and they continued dancing.

"Are you ready, love?" Edward asked as I wrapped an arm around him. I nodded up at him as he gave a quick wave in Marcos and Julio's direction.

"Shit! Jasper took my clutch earlier," I said as we stepped out the door to the club.

"Do you need anything in it?" Edward asked. I thought about it for all of two whole seconds before shaking my head. The only thing I could have needed was my phone, but since Edward was with me I didn't have a need for it. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and started pressing buttons quickly as we strode down the walkway. I had no idea where we were going, especially since our limo was in the opposite direction.

"He's gonna bring it back with him," Edward said. I nodded and melted further into his side.

"Are we walking somewhere close? If not, these shoes need to _go_," I chuckled.

"Just around the corner to where I left my car," he replied as he stopped walking and swooped me up into his arms. I squealed and then laughed as I wrapped my legs around his waist and he started walking again.

"Those sexy shoes are staying right where they are," he grinned as I bit my lip and smiled while fiddling with his crisp shirt collar.

"I thought you were gonna rip everything off of me," I chuckled as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"I am...everything _but_ those sexy ass shoes," he responded with a wink. He slowed his pace and I heard a chirp from behind me, notifying me that we had made it to his car just before I felt the cool hardness of it being pressed against my back.

He released his arms from around me, keeping me pressed against the side of the car with his own body as his hands ran down my sides and the length of my legs while lowering his head to attach his lips to mine. Raging heat coursed through me as I fisted the collar of his shirt, pulling him impossibly closer to me as my mouth opened under the pressure of his lips. His hands unlocked my ankles behind him and he slowly lowered my legs down, his hands trailing up higher as they drifted down toward the ground.

"Boat...now," I commanded as I pulled my lips away briefly.

"No boat...hotel," he replied before crashing his urgent lips down upon mine again as his hands traveled around my hips to take purchase on my ass. He groaned as he gave a slight squeeze and brought his hands back around to trail up my sides, grazing the sides of my breasts with his thumbs before moving around to my back. I tore my lips away, breathless and panting as I tried to retain some level of coherency.

His lips, and tongue, and hands on my skin made it damn near impossible to think much less speak, and every time he pressed his arousal into me, the pressure and friction took away my ability to even _see _straight. With one last warm, moist kiss to the soft skin where my neck and shoulder joined, he pulled the door open to the car and ushered me inside quickly. He hopped in the driver's side and started the engine, smirking at me as he gestured toward my seatbelt.

"In a rush?" I chuckled, coming out of my lust induced haze.

"You have no idea," he said as he checked his blind spot and slammed into first gear, peeling out away from the curb. I squealed as I gripped my seat, and tipped my head back and laughed at the sound of his chuckle. That man really had a fascination with all things relating to speed. Boats, bikes, cars...I was really beginning to think he might be an adrenaline junkie.

Not long after leaving the side street near the club, we arrived at a beautiful hotel overlooking the water. Edward pulled up into the valet area and a man in a suit opened my car door and offered me a hand. I took it gratefully and stepped out of the car as Edward hopped out and jogged around the back of the car...which was rather...expensive looking now that I had actually seen it. I was guessing it was the Vanquish Emmett had told me about at some point. He grinned down at me as he wrapped an arm around my waist and led us into the hotel. When I started to veer toward the front desk, he pulled me back to his side and chuckled as he led us toward the elevators.

"It's already taken care of, love," he said as he gave my side a quick squeeze and I melted further into his side as I smiled up at him. The energy coursing between us hadn't faded from outside of the club. If anything, it had become more intense from sheer anticipation.

As soon as the elevator doors closed I pushed him up against the back of the elevator and roughly brought his face down to mine. He groaned and turned us, pressing me up against the wall with his body as his hands gripped and kneaded my flesh everywhere. My hands were frantic as I started unbuttoning his shirt, completely unable to wait the few moments for the elevator doors to open on our floor and find our way to our room. His hands traveled lower on my body and his fingers slid underneath the hem of my dress causing me to whimper at the warmth of his fingers on my skin. Ever so slowly his hands trailed up my thighs, raising the fabric with them. I pulled his shirts from his pants, wanting to touch his skin so badly that it almost hurt. As soon as it was free, I shoved my hands up the back of it and pulled him to me.

The ding of the elevator sounded, alerting us to our arrival on our floor. He groaned as he pulled away and his hands withdrew from under my dress, the fabric falling back down to rest against my mid thigh. I hadn't realized just how high it had ridden during his exploration and I blushed realizing that I had been fairly exposed, and I hoped that Edward's body had sheltered me from view of any cameras that had most certainly been in the elevator.

We made a mad dash down the hall to our room, and I nearly smacked right into him when he stopped suddenly in front of our door. As soon as the door was shut, I found myself pressed up against it, with his hands gripping the fabric of my dress roughly. I spun us around and pushed against his chest as I chuckled and stepped back.

"As much as you want to tear this dress to shreds...I am rather fond of it," I said as I slowly untied the string at the back of my neck. A strangled sound emanated from his throat as he realized what I was doing.

"Dance for me...please," he said huskily as he flopped back against the door. I bit my lip and smiled as I started to sway my hips to the distant sound of music floating up to the open balcony door from somewhere below, and let the strings fall from my hands as I ran my hands through my hair and did a slow circle in front of him, swaying my hips out as I turned.

"Like what you see, Mr. Cullen?" I smirked as I slid my thumbs under the top of my dress as I continued to dance in front of him.

"Fuck yes...keep going," he nearly groaned. The sound of his voice mixed with the lusting look in his eyes caused a shiver to run down my back. I bit my lip and looked up at him through my lashes as I continued to sway my hips seductively. I wasn't sure if it was the liquid courage, or just the way he was looking at me, but I found myself teasing him with the speed at which I was lowering my dress. I could see him getting impatient as it ever so slowly lowered, inch by inch, bundling around my waist as I started to do another turn and work it slowly over my hips.

"_Jesus_," he muttered as my back was to him. I knew he could see the top of my thong and just a bit of my ass as I continued to turn back in his direction, and where I once would have thought I would have been too embarrassed to be doing something like this, I felt confident, sexy... desired, and it turned me on.

By the time I made it fully back around to him, the dress was just dangling from my fingertips. I watched as his eyes slowly traveled from mine down my body as I dropped the dress on the floor. His eyes shot back up to mine and he smirked as he quirked an eyebrow at me and pushed his way off the door, taking slow predatory steps toward me.

"Are you rather fond of those?" he asked, his voice low and sultry as his eyes traveled down to my tiny pair of underwear.

"You mean these?" I asked as I hooked my thumbs under the straps and did another turn in front of him, earning a throaty groan from him as his arms wrapped around my waist from behind.

"Yes those," he breathed in my ear, sending shivers through my body as his fingers slid under the straps. I whimpered at the heat of his fingers as I shook my head, and in a flash they were ripped away from my body, the sound of the tearing fabric causing a rush of moisture between my thighs. I spun toward him, and grabbed his face, crashing my lips to his as his hands traveled over my ass, squeezing gently. His warm hands trailed up my back to the clasp of my strapless bra and unhooking it deftly, tossing it to the side before grabbing the backs of my thighs and lifted me, pressing me to his chest.

" Oh God...Edward..." I panted as I pulled away from his lips for air. He sucked a nipple into his mouth and groaned against my skin as I moaned and tugged at his hair, and attempted to grind my hips against his abs to create some type of friction. _Any_ type of friction as he released my nipple as started moving forward into the room.

"_Fuck..._ I can feel you seeping through my shirt," he ground out in a strained voice as we started to pass by a couch. Abruptly he turned and sat me down on the back of it, and dropped down to his knee, placing his face right in between my thighs. His hooded eyes looked up from my slick sex to meet my own as I gazed down at him, practically begging for him with my eyes. He kept his eyes on mine as he trailed wet kisses down my thighs as he brought them up and over his shoulders and pulled my feet around to the front of him, making me slide toward him slightly and grab a hold of the couch to keep myself from falling.

"You are...by far...the most beautiful...sexy...and delicious...creature...I have...ever seen," he said in between nips and kisses, each one bringing him closer and closer to my wet sex. I was trembling all over by the time his mouth pressed against my lips and his tongue slid in between my folds.

"Sweet mother of..._ungh_," I moaned as I flopped back, my movement causing me to press myself into his face even further as my back landed against the seat back of the couch. His hand came around my hip, right to where he was lavishing me with his delicious attention and spread me open to him.

He moaned into my flesh, sending a shudder through my entire body, as he worked furiously against me. His lips and tongue moved in desperation, as if my release was the last bit of water provided to a dying man in a desert. When he pressed two fingers into me, pacing their thrusting in time with his tongue's laps against my bundle of nerves, I burst into a billion pieces, trembling, moaning, cursing, and clenching my legs around his head and shoulders as he lapped up every last drop of my release. Edward released my legs and held onto my hips as he stood and pulled me to him, crashing his lips down on mine as I tried to catch my breath and fight down the desperation for him that I was feeling.

"I love you...I need you," he grumbled, only pulling his lips from mine momentarily to speak into my mouth as he ripped his shirt down his arms and tossed it to the side. I whimpered and roughly tugged his undershirt up and over his head, tossing it aside as his hands made quick work of his belt.

"I need you..._now_," I growled. "It's been too fucking long." He moaned as his head tipped back and his hands roughly grabbed at my hips while I undid his button and zipper, pushing his pants down over his hips and biting my lip as his beautiful erection sprung free. I slid off the back of the couch and spun us quickly, dropping down to my knees and looking up at him as I pulled his boxers the rest of the way down his legs. He quickly stepped out of them, tossing them with his foot as he ran a hand through my hair and gazed at me with such intensity that it caused my entire body to feel aflame.

I kept my eyes trained on his as I brought my lips to the head of his cock and licked the pearl of moisture off the tip. His continuous pleading whispers ceased as his breath hitched and a loud moan erupted from his throat, his fingers curling tightly into my hair. I smirked and kissed his tip, circling it with my tongue as I trailed my hands up his thighs to his hips. He shuddered beneath my fingers as I moved one to the base of his cock, readying myself to take him in fully.

"_Damn_, Bella," he grunted, pushing his hips forward slightly as I took him in my mouth and slowly pulled my head back, and lightly dragging my teeth over his flesh as his other hand wrapped itself in my hair. If he felt anywhere near as desperate as I was at the moment, I knew it was taking tremendous effort on his behalf to not lose control and ram himself down my throat. With that knowledge in mind, I quickened my pace, adding motion to my hand as I worked against him, loving every groan, grunt, moan, shudder, and curse that emanated from him.

"Bella...Bella...stand up," he grunted breathlessly. I withdrew him from my mouth and looked at him curiously as I stood slowly in front of him, wondering if he hadn't been enjoying it as much as I thought. He grabbed my face and crashed his lips upon mine as he turned us around, pressing me against the back of the couch again.

"Your mouth is fucking torturous, but you'd choke to death on this load," he growled as he spun me around quickly so I was facing the couch. I whimpered as I felt his erection come between my legs and rub against me.

"You like that, my Bella? Do you like feeling my cock between your thighs?" he asked. I whimpered and nodded as I pushed my hips back toward him and leaned over the back of the couch.

"Just think about how good it's gonna feel when I'm all the way inside of you," he said as he ground his hips against my ass and ran his hands over my hips and sides.

"Please...oh God...," I whimpered, putting a hand between my legs to stroke his cock. He groaned and stilled behind me as his grip on my hips tightened.

"Jesus...do you have any fucking idea what you do to me?" he groaned as he bent over, and placed kisses along my back. "The way you looked tonight, the way you moved...Jesus...everything you do makes me hard."

"Edward," I moaned, feeling his cock move between my thighs as he stood. "I can't take much more."

"That's a shame, my love...because you're going to be feeling tonight for _days_," he said huskily and I shuddered as I felt him line himself up with my entrance. I tried to push back onto him, but his hands on my hips stopped me.

"Ah ah ah...tell me what you want Bella," he said with an evil chuckle as he teased me with the head of his cock. A strangled noise left my throat as I tried fruitlessly to press myself back against him again.

"Shit," I whimpered, "Edward, Jesus...fuck me, make love to me, I don't care, but get the fuck in me already," I growled, and then pushed back with all my might. He let go of my hips, either in shock at my demand or taken off guard by a flash of desire coursing through him as his cock twitched and I impaled myself on him, causing both of us to moan loudly.

"You better hold onto that couch for dear life," he growled as he grabbed my hips and pulled back before forcefully slamming himself back in, our skin making a loud slap as his hips slammed into my ass. I braced my arms against the couch, but it wasn't enough with his forceful thrusts. They were moving both me and the couch forward, but shit it felt amazing.

"Edward!" I yelped as he grabbed my legs up swiftly,and brought them to the sides of his hips. I nearly fell to the floor before he took a step forward and I regained my hold on the couch, propping myself up on my arms. The position caused my back to arch as I wrapped my legs around him, and when he pushed in again, I swore there was no possible way he could ever get _any_ further inside me.

"So tight..and wet...and _mine_. You're _mine_, Bella," he grunted in time with his thrusts. Fuck that man made me delirious with desire.

"Show me...show me I'm yours," I panted.

"Oh I'll show you, my love," he growled as he withdrew from me slowly, causing me to whimper before he plunged back in quickly, and withdrew slowly again.

"You see, Bella," he said as he thrust hard into me again and I moaned. "Just by adjusting my motions I can make you either whimper for more, or moan in pleasure," he continued as he withdrew slowly and I whimpered yet again.

"With one touch I can make you shiver, and with one look blush. You're _mine_," he said as he ran a hand over my flesh and I shuddered beneath him, moaning loudly as he rammed into me again. I nearly sobbed at the accuracy of his words. I truly was owned by him. He played my body like a master musician played a fine tuned instrument. I was a ruined woman. No other man would ever be able to consume me to such a degree.

"I'm yours...I'm yours Edward," I whimpered, longing for him to fill me again. The emptiness after he withdrew was intolerable.

"Damn right you are," he grunted as he slammed into me again and I moaned as I climaxed around him. "Just like I'm yours," he grunted as he twitched and spilled into me.

He put my feet back down on the floor and withdrew from me before turning me around and pulling my legs back up. I held myself up on my arms with my legs wrapped around him as he guided himself back to my entrance, gazing straight into my eyes, and pushing himself slowly into me as his eyes rolled back and closed momentarily. When his eyes opened, he took another step forward, bringing our chests together and grazing my nose with his as he kept himself sheathed fully within me, and growing harder by the moment.

"I'm yours, baby, all yours," he said as he gazed into my eyes and grasped my face with both hands. I wrapped one arm around his neck, still holding myself up with the other as I closed the distance between our lips.

"I love you...come to Seattle with me," I said breathlessly as I pulled my lips back. His cock twitched within me as a grin crossed his lips and he nodded. My heart swelled as I took in his euphoric expression and relief flooded through me, with the knowledge that even if he stayed behind with Jasper and Emmett for the remainder of the summer, it wouldn't be long before we were reunited again.

"Lean back...I'm not done with you yet," he smirked. I bit my lip and leaned back, my ass dropping down as my back arched over the back of the couch. He waited until he was sure that I had braced myself as well as I could before pulling back and drilling into me. I moaned as his hand roamed all over my torso, his other keeping a hold of my hip.

"Fuck...I want this couch for our home," I panted and he moaned. What he was moaning about was lost on me. I could barely think straight.

"I'll buy you anything you want for _our_ home, my love," he responded, stressing the word our as he leaned down and sucked a nipple into his mouth. It was then that I realized what had caused him to moan as it caused me to moan as well. _Our home. _

Those words alone falling from his lips sent me flying toward the edge again as I clamped down around him, moaning and gasping as I shook with the force of my orgasm.

"Damn baby...that's it..._fuck_ you feel amazing," he grunted as he continued to drive into me, bringing one of my legs up and over his shoulder as he held onto the other one. He looked over at my high heeled clad foot and kissed my ankle as he moaned.

"Fuck I love these shoes," he grunted, thrusting into me as he caressed my leg, starting at my foot and moving up to take purchase against my knee.

Of all the things _not_ going through my mind at that moment, only one thing was clear...I would never tire of the way he made me feel...and not just with his cock. It was everything. The way he made me feel when he looked at me, spoke to me, held me, touched me, fucked me, made love to me, and even hummed to me while I was falling asleep. All of it, each and every single thing he did to me, made me feel wanted and desired, cherished and _loved_. Loved deeper than I had ever known was possible.

True to his word, he spent the _entire _night worshiping my body in ways that were probably illegal in 49 out of the 50 states. Our love making ranged from desperate fucking to being so sweet and gentle that I shed tears as I lost myself in his eyes. It was in those moments that I could literally feel how deep his love for me was, as his touch lingered on my skin reverently as though he were memorizing every inch of a masterpiece of sculptured art, his eyes drinking in the sights as though he had never seen something so magnificent in his life.

As the sun rose, we wrapped ourselves in a sheet and stepped out onto the balcony, looking out over the waters toward the east where the sun was rising. My body was beyond sore, but the knowledge of how it came to be that way made it feel amazing. We stood there silently, his arms wrapped around my waist under the sheet, and my head against his chest with his chin resting on my shoulder, watching as the world around us began to come to life.

"I meant what I said...come to Seattle with me, please?" I said quietly, gazing out toward the horizon.

"You don't even have to ask, love. I would have followed you there anyway. These last few days have been impossible. I can't live without you that way. I'll be on the first plane back at the end of the summer with Emmett," he replied as his thumb caressed the side of my lower ribs. I turned toward him and wrapped my arms around his neck and looked up at him as he kept us hidden under the sheet, rubbing my back with one of his hands.

"I hope you'll be happy there. It isn't anything like the island," I said as I pouted slightly. He was giving up gorgeous surroundings just to be with me in a dreary place like Seattle. He smiled softly down at me as he swayed us from side to side slightly, and rubbed his nose against me.

"I'll be the happiest man alive as long as you're there with me," he replied and touched his lips to mine lightly.

I smiled as I pulled back from him, feeling complete and at ease from all the worrying I had been doing since we had come together. Everything was going to be fine, and we were going to be happy together regardless of our surroundings. All we needed was each other, and with him coming with me, we would have that...always.

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**AN: I sincerely hope it was worth the wait! So I noticed that there are over 400 followers on this story :::quirks brow::: I'd love to hear from you ^_^ Review away my awesome freaking readers! Thanks for being so patient with the wait! Come hang with us on the forums and on Twitter! Links in my profile! Much love to you all! ~Jersey~**


	18. Difficult Mornings & Blissful Nights

**AN: HOLY MOTHER OF EPIC UPDATES! That's right folks...it's an extra long chapter this time...just shy of 14,000 words. ^_^ To those of you that prefer shorter chapters...eh read it in multiple sittings or something LOL. I just wanted to thank all of you for the awesome response to last chapter! You guys blew my socks off! I haven't finished responding to reviews...sorry but I swear I'm getting there. I think there's like 20 or so left that I have yet to respond to. Now if only we can keep those review numbers up that high I'll be completely blissed out straight through the end of this story...which is still a far ways off people. Last chapter was NOT the end LOL...far from it my dears. I'm not sure if there will be another update this week or not, but I will try my damnedest to get one posted. Anyways...ENJOY!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, just the plotline ^_^

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Difficult Mornings and Blissful Nights

BPOV

"Edward...shut that damn alarm off," I mumbled, rolling over onto my opposite side to get as far away from the offensive noise as I could. It felt as though we had _just_ fallen asleep when that horrid noise ripped me from my blissful slumbering state.

"It's not an alarm...it's my fucking phone. Where the hell is it, and who _in the hell_ is calling this early?" he grumbled as he rolled off the bed to find his stupid phone.

_I'm gonna kill that person..._ I thought as I pried my eyes open and flinched at the brightness of the room_._

"What Jasper? Is the damn resort on fire or some shit?" he grumbled by way of greeting. I snickered as he plopped down on the bed and I pulled the sheet up to my nose as I studied his muscular back.

"Hi Ali...no I'm not angry, but it is early and I'm grumpy. We just went to sleep an hour ago," he mumbled as he rubbed his eye with his palm.

_Why is Alice calling his phone so early? She could have called my phone...oh crap...I don't have my phone..._

"Yeah, she's here...hold on," he mumbled again and then turned to hand me the phone as he laid back down.

"Ali?" I asked as I sat up in bed and furrowed my brow.

"Bells...you need to call Charlie...like _now_. He's uhh...yeah he's pretty pissed right now," she said quickly. I could hear the cringe in her voice and I grimaced myself.

"What'd he say on my voicemail?" I asked.

"I didn't listen to your voicemail. When you didn't answer your phone at all last night or this morning, he called both Rosalie and I at the asscrack of dawn," she grumbled.

"I'm sorry. I forgot my clutch at the club last night. Did Jasper bring it back with you guys?" I asked, hopeful that he hadn't forgotten it.

"Yeah, we brought it back. I'm going back to bed though. Please call him before he calls me again. I hate dealing with pissed off Charlie first thing in the morning," she whined as I nodded.

"I will...I'll call him right now, promise," I said quickly.

"Okay...good night...morning...whatever. I'll see you later," she said sleepily.

"Night, Ali," I replied and shut his phone, groaning and mashing my palms into my eyes.

"What is it, love?" Edward inquired as he pulled my hands away from my eyes.

"My dad's pissed, and I have a good idea of what it's about," I replied as I looked at him sadly.

"Not thrilled with the idea of me, huh?" he asked and I shook my head glumly.

"It'll be alright, baby. He can't hate me forever, he has no reason to," he said optimistically. I snorted and rolled my eyes as I flipped his phone back open.

"Edward, I love you, you're absolutely perfect in every way, but Charles Swan does not need a reason to hate anyone that isn't Jacob Black...especially when it comes to that person being my significant other," I said as I shook my head and slowly dialed the numbers to my parents' house. It was the middle of the night back home, but if he'd just called Ali and Rose, I had no doubt he was still awake.

"Baby, I don't expect your father to like me right off the bat, _especially_ with us having known each other for such a short amount of time. My being with you is going to be hard for him, it would be hard for any father to accept how quickly our relationship formed. Don't be too hard on him," he pleaded with me. I snapped his phone shut again and turned to look at him.

"I know it's going to be hard on him, but you don't know Charlie...no offense," I replied as I stroked his cheek gently.

"None taken," he smiled as he shook his head.

"Charlie has this..._obsession _with the idea of his best friend's kid becoming his son-in-law, and he needs to get the hell over it already because it's _never_ going to happen. The sooner he comes to terms with that denial, the better it will be for all of us," I said as I leaned forward to press a chaste kiss against his lips.

"_You_ are my present, and _you_ are my future..._not_ _Jacob_," I said, nearly growling my last words. Apparently my near growling was amusing to him as he started laughing as he caressed my cheek.

"I know love...you don't have to convince me of that," he chuckled. I smiled as I chuckled slightly and leaned forward once more to give him another kiss before flipping his phone back open, yet again, and dialing the number.

"Isabella fucking Marie! What in the _hell_ has gotten into you?" Charlie roared into the phone.

_Second ring...impressive Charlie... I thought sarcastically as I pulled the phone away from my ear and cringed slightly._

"Well hello to you too Charles Andrew. How'd you know it was me?" I asked dryly after hitting the speaker phone button.

"Don't you Charles Andrew me. Foreign number, but nevermind that. What's this shit I hear about you bringing some island native back with you? Are you insane? Have you finally lost all your marbles?" he ranted, and I could just picture him pacing the floor in the kitchen, tangling himself up in the stupid phone cord.

"Possibly," I said lightly, fighting off a round of chuckles at my mental image of him snaring himself up in the cord and busting his ass.

"Isabella," he chastised.

"Charles," I chuckled in response.

"Do I really need to list all the reasons why this is a horrible idea?" he inquired heatedly. I looked to Edward and damn near lost it as I saw him covering his mouth and shaking from his silent laughter.

"Sorry," he whispered as he flopped back and started laughing even harder, but still silently...mostly anyway.

"Which reason would you like to start with Dad? The fact that we've only known each other for a few weeks, the possibility that he's using me for my money, which is completely laughable by the way, or the fact that he isn't Jacob?" I said as I counted them off on my fingers, causing Edward to roll away as he laughed and bury his head in a pillow.

"When did you become such a smart ass? And I have more reasons than those Bells. Those are just the tip of the goddamn iceberg," he said angrily.

"Always been one Dad...I get it from you, ask Grammie," I chuckled. "So what are your other reasons?"

"Isabella, I forbid you to do this. This is the worst mistake you could ever make in your life," he replied sternly, not giving me a single other reason because he didn't have one to give. I wasn't stupid. I knew what he'd throw at me, and I cut him off before he could even start. Now he was just floundering and throwing out anything he could.

"I'm nearly twenty five, Dad. I don't need your permission to make decisions that effect my life. Some of the best decisions I've ever made in my life came from going against your instruction. What makes you think this will be any different?" I asked smugly. I could almost feel the heat radiating off of him through the phone in his silence, the only sound to be heard was the distinct noise of his teeth grinding together.

"And what decisions would those be?" he muttered through clenched teeth. You could tell by the way his words sounded as the air pushed it's way through his teeth.

"Look, Dad...the past isn't the reason for this discussion. Edward's moving up to Seattle at the end of the summer to be with me, end of story. There's nothing you can say or do to change that, so start accepting it. The sooner you get over this decision, the sooner you can just be thankful that I found someone I can love that loves me just as deeply in return and treats me the way I deserve," I replied, cutting through the bullshit that would have us arguing for hours on end. I didn't have the energy or the patience at the moment to get into the Swan version of World War III.

"And what if I don't?" he challenged. I rolled my eyes and flopped back on my pillows, glaring at the piece of plastic and metal in my hand.

"Don't make me sic Grammie on you. I'll do it Charlie," I warned. It wouldn't be the first time I used my Grammie card against him. I had used it when he tried to discourage my writing, claiming I needed to find a stable career, and again when I bought my home, when he claimed I was too young to know anything about owning a home. She rode his ass both times until he relented and supported my decisions.

"Bella...I don't agree with this...at all. I haven't even met the guy yet and you're already inviting him to live with you? What's going to happen if it doesn't work out? Are you doing this just to hurt Jacob, or do you really care for this guy?" he asked and I sighed in exasperation. He was really starting to get under my skin. Edward ran his hand down my arm in a comforting gesture as I ran my empty hand through my hair roughly, getting it snagged in the knots and cringing.

"This has nothing at all to do with Jacob, Charlie. Nothing at all. I didn't come here expecting to find Edward. I didn't even come here free willingly. Rose and Ali dragged me here. If someone would have told me I'd come here and fall in love, I would have laughed my ass off at them, but it happened Dad. I don't know how, and I don't know why, but it did, and he makes me happier than I've ever been. Please accept this, accept him as part of my life because I can't live without him. I just can't...he means too much to me," I pleaded desperately with him, wanting so badly for him to just accept our relationship or just be happy for me at the very least. Edward gave a supportive squeeze to my arm and kissed my temple, but remained silent by my side.

"Jeez, Bells. What am I going to do with you? You're really head over heels for this guy aren't you?" he asked, softening his tone dramatically, almost sounding resigned to my decision. Almost.

"Yeah Dad, I am," I said as I smiled and looked over at Edward. He grinned back as he leaned in for a quick kiss, and continued to smile as he pulled back.

"I can hear it in your voice, kiddo. Just...please be careful. I don't want you getting hurt by someone you barely know. Can't you at least get to know him better before letting him move in with you? Can he even afford a place of his own when he comes up here? And when are we going to get to meet him?" he rambled and I laughed, feeling all of my anger and desperation dissipate.

"Don't worry about me getting hurt, and we haven't really talked about housing arrangements yet, but it doesn't make much sense for him to get his own place when we probably won't ever spend a night apart. He could most definitely afford his own place, but I think it would be a tremendous waste of money if he'd never be in it. And you'll meet him as soon as we get the chance to come by after he comes up," I replied, chuckling and smiling.

"You're killing me here, Bells. If you didn't sound so goddamn happy right now I'd fly my ass down there this instant and drag you back kicking and screaming. It's really been hell these past two years...watching you live in that damn zombie state," he said glumly.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but you didn't help that state much with all the arguing every time I spoke to you," I replied, biting my nail as I tried to fight off the wave of guilt trying to consume me.

"You know...I didn't push you to get back with Jacob because I thought you belonged together. I just wanted you out of that damn zombie mode, and he used to make you so happy. What changed?" he asked, and my mind reeled at his statement.

"Why the hell did you try to push me toward something that partially led me to that zombie state?!" I wailed.

"Because he used to make you happy! Every relationship has problems that need to be worked through, and I thought yours was no different. You were both young when you got involved with each other, and neither of you had ever dated anyone else...I figured you were both testing waters before you came back to each other. I'm sorry, I didn't realize how unhappy he made you. I know you told me he did, but hell Bells, everyone says that crap when they're angry after a break up," he responded. I scoffed and rolled my eyes at the phone.

"Dad, he made me happy when we were _friends_. That all changed when we started dating. We were only vaguely happy for like the first couple of months. Everything after that revolved around fighting, him cheating, more fighting, making up and trying to act happy together while we denied what was so blatantly obvious to almost everyone around us. We weren't happy by any means. The only thing we succeeded in doing was ruining the friendship we had once had...that's it," I retorted.

"Kind of like me and your mother," he voiced distantly, sounding as though he was talking to himself more than me.

"Why do you do it, Dad? Why do you stay together? You're both miserable with each other," I said sadly and he sighed unhappily.

"Until recently, I've stayed because I loved your mother," he replied hesitantly.

"What do you mean until recently? And loved? You don't love her anymore?" I asked curiously and he sighed again.

"I do love your mother, but not the way I used to. I....Jesus Bella...I'd really rather not do this over the phone," he said, sounding intensely uncomfortable.

"What is it? What's going on?" I asked, sitting upright and staring at my phone intently.

"Bells...Honey, your mother and I are getting a divorce. We can't do this anymore...I can't do this anymore. I've tried to make it work for so long, but it just never gets any better. We have some good days, but they are far outweighed by the bad ones. It doesn't help that I met someone new a few months ago and your mother found out about it," he replied. I laughed as tears filled my eyes.

I couldn't even begin to describe how I felt about what he'd said. On one hand I was sad that it was finally happening, and on the other I was relieved. Not just relieved that they were getting a divorce, but relieved that he had finally met someone else. Renee had done it enough times, and honestly if she was angry about it she had bigger issues than I had originally assumed.

"You're not upset with me are you?" he asked nervously and I chuckled again as I wiped at my eyes.

"No...no I'm not upset with you. It's about damn time this happened actually. I love you both, but Jesus you two were miserable to be around when I was growing up. What's her name?" I asked as I smiled and sniffled slightly. He chuckled lightly and sighed in relief.

"Her name is Beth, and she's...well she's great. I met her at the Christmas party last year for the police and fire departments. She's a dispatcher for the fire company. It's funny that I had never met her before, but I had heard her voice quite a few times over the radios. I actually thought she was Linda, you know...that lady that always got tanked at the department functions and her husband had to drag her home at the end of the night? They sound a lot alike over the radio," he chuckled and Edward and I laughed.

"I'm happy for you, Dad. Really...I think it's great that you found someone that makes you happy," I said sincerely. "So when's the divorce taking place? And how's Mom dealing with it?"

"It's going to take a few months to be finalized. Your mother is...well she's being a complete bitch about it, but I expected nothing less honestly. I could fight against her in court with all of the adultery that's taken place during our marriage, but it's not worth it. She went on a rampage about wanting to keep the house and the car, and a bunch of other stuff. I'm giving it to her. I just want a clean break from all of this. She has been ignoring me for the better part of the last week since I brought it up, and only spoke to me last night to tell me what was going on with you. She blamed me for it...I nearly thought I was going to get called in to respond to a domestic disturbance at our own house with all the screaming she was doing both that first night, and last night. I just don't get it, Bells. She's had more affairs than I care to count, but yet she's beyond infuriated with me, and I haven't committed any adultery. Yes, I met Beth and we talk frequently, but it's never gone beyond just talking," he said, sounding thoroughly exasperated with the situation.

"Don't worry about it. She'll get over it. You know Renee, everything is always all about her in the moment," I said as I grimaced slightly. What was also true about Renee was that she'd feel like intense crap later on for how she acted. I definitely wasn't looking forward to dealing with that.

"I'm not worried about it, kiddo. If we manage to come out of this as friends that's fine, and if not...well that's fine too. I don't harbor any ill feelings toward her. It is what it is," he said indifferently. I nodded as I chewed on the inside of my lip.

"Well listen, honey, your mother's starting to stomp around upstairs. That's my cue to seek cover," he chuckled and I laughed.

"Run away, Dad. Run far, far away. I love you and I'll talk to you soon," I chuckled.

"Love you too, kiddo. And Edward...you better be good to my little girl. I heard you laughing over that damn speaker phone, so I know you can hear me. She's all I've got, and I'll happily deport your ass after beating the snot out of you if you hurt her in any way," he said seriously. I busted out laughing as Edward did a double take at the phone.

"I will, Sir. You have my word, and I'll gladly take the beating and deportation if I ever hurt her," he replied with a goofy grin that only made me laugh harder. Hearing him call Charlie sir didn't help me either.

"Alright. Take care, kiddo. I'll see you soon," he said after grunting.

"Bye Dad," I chuckled before snapping Edward's phone shut.

"Wow, that went...strangely," I chuckled as I flopped back on the bed.

"You're not upset about your parents?" Edward asked as he laid down next to me, propping his head up on his hand as he took his phone from my hand and tossed it on the nightstand next to him.

"No...it's been long overdue," I said as I shook my head. "You're not upset about his threat of deporting you?"

"No," he laughed as he shook his head. "I'd give the same threat to any of my daughter's suitors if I were the Chief of Police."

"Oh Lord...you're going to be one of those shot gun brandishing fathers aren't you?" I chuckled.

"Damn right. Boys are gonna know what lies in their future if they hurt any daughter of ours," he said. I couldn't figure out if he was serious or joking about the shotgun thing, but the intensity of his gaze left little to question as to who he wished to be the mother of his children. I bit my lip as I tried to fight off a goofy grin as he looked down at me and brought his hand to my face, watching his fingers as he pushed the hair away and caressed my skin lightly.

"You want to have kids with me?" I asked, swooning immensely internally. His eyes shot back to mine as a grin spread across his lips and he leaned in to kiss me tenderly.

"I want to do everything with you, Bella. Have a home, kids, perhaps a dog, grandkids, great grandkids, and eventually maybe even get married one day," he chuckled. I laughed and swatted his arm.

"Nice order there, bub," I chuckled. He laughed and leaned in to kiss me again.

"What do you think a little girl of ours would look like?" I asked curiously as I nestled myself into his chest and tried to imagine her. In my head she'd have brown wavy hair, bright green eyes, my button nose, his pillow like pink lips, and would hopefully inherit his grace and coordination. That's one trait I hoped to spare any future child I may have.

"I'd hope she'd look just like you, and pray to God that she didn't inherit my crazy ass hair," he chuckled.

"Shut up...I love your wild sex-hair," I laughed as I swatted at him.

"Yeah...exactly. I don't want a daughter that looks like you and has sex hair," he grumbled. "It'll be hard enough to keep the boys away from her without adding that into the mix."

"Please, if she inherits my awkwardness there won't be an issue at all in that department," I scoffed.

"There's where you're wrong, love. Your clumsy nature is incredibly endearing. How you made it through high school without someone trying to sweep you off your feet...literally...is baffling," he chuckled.

"Au contraire mon amour...not every guy has a knight in shining armor complex that he needs to indulge daily...sometimes multiple times daily," I laughed.

"I do not have a complex," he scoffed, making me laugh harder with his serious face. "I just happen to enjoy having reasons to be by your side constantly."

"You know you don't need a reason for that, right?" I asked as I entwined our fingers between us.

"I know, but it makes me feel like I have a purpose," he chuckled.

"Well if that's your purpose...than what's mine?" I asked, pouting playfully. He leaned in and captured my protruding bottom lip between his, humming as he pulled away and released it.

"To make me the luckiest and happiest man who ever lived," he said, his tone dripping with sincerity.

"You're gonna be rethinking that statement in a few months," I chuckled as his brow furrowed down at me.

"I'm a slob, Edward. I've seen your meticulous room. You're going to hate living with me," I laughed and then bit my lip.

"I've noticed...doesn't bother me in the least. And you're not a slob...you're just slightly messy. I can handle a little mess, but please tell me you do stuff like leave dirty dishes everywhere, or leave globs of toothpaste in the sink, which I haven't seen yet so I'm hopeful, or let trash flow over and out of the bin because you don't feel like taking it out. Those are my biggest pet peeves. Thank Emmett for all of them because he did them routinely when we were younger," he said and I laughed as I shook my head.

"No...you're safe. I don't do any of those things. Well sometimes I leave dishes in the sink, but not everywhere around the house, but I have a few pet peeves of my own," I said as I quirked a brow at him. He nodded for me to continue as he smiled and caressed my hand with his thumb.

"I hate shavings around the sink...seriously that infuriates me something wicked and I'll go from zero to bitch in half a second. I can't stand the toilet seat being left up, because I have a tendency to fall in the stupid thing when I'm half asleep and stumble in there in the middle of the night. And I absolutely can't stand greasy hand prints and foot prints being trekked through the house from messing with crap in the garage. I put a sink and small shower in the laundry room just inside the garage door for a reason," I ranted. He laughed and shook his head.

"Have you seen any shavings around the sink, or have I left the toilet seat up?" he asked. I thought about it for a second and shook my head.

"I learned from a very young age about the toilet thing after my mom falling into the pot repeatedly when I was a child. And the rest you don't have to worry about because...well you've seen my room," he chuckled.

"And your immaculate freaking closet according to Rose. How did you come to be such a neat freak?" I wondered aloud.

"Esme. She was on my ass constantly when I first came to live with them. I had a few ticks that I couldn't stand, like the things Emmett did constantly, but aside from that I was your average slob of a teenage boy. She whooped our asses into shape by the time we became adults though," he replied with a nostalgic expression. A yawn escaped me at the end of my chuckle and he frowned down at me.

"We should get some more sleep. It's gonna be a long afternoon...well for me at least," he said and I nodded, snuggling up with him as he laid down on his back and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"I love you," I mumbled as my eyes closed. He hummed and ran his fingers through my hair.

"I love you too angel," he replied softly. Within moments I was fast asleep, dreaming of a future with Edward, a house filled with beautiful children...and even a dog.

"Bella...Honey wake up. We have to get going soon," I heard Edward say softly as he shook me. I groaned and rolled over, burying my face into a pillow and pulling the blanket over my head. He chuckled and I felt the blanket rise briefly before falling back down, followed quickly by his lips on my back.

"Mmm...can't we just stay here and you do that all day?" I asked, completely serious. His lips on my skin felt amazing.

"Trust me I wish I could, but Emmett and I have to unload everything back at the resort today, and we slept later than I had planned to," he mumbled, trailing his kisses across my skin.

"Pretty please? With sugar, and cherries, and sprinkles on top?" I begged. I was so comfortable, and had no inclination whatsoever to remove myself from our positions at the moment. He chuckled against my skin and the bursts of his warm breath caused goose flesh to spread across my skin as I shivered.

"How about if I book the room for another night and come back when we're done unloading? I can even have Alice pack you an overnight bag while I'm there," he offered and I nodded as I rolled toward him.

"I'll pay for tonight, you paid for last night," I said. He shook his head and kissed my lips lightly.

"Not a chance love. I'll pay for it on my way down so they don't kick you out of the room while I'm gone," he chuckled as he reached down into his pocket.

"What are you doing?" I asked curiously.

"Calling Emmett," he replied. I nodded and kissed his shoulder as I pulled the blanket away from our heads, instantly regretting that decision as the sunlight assaulted my eyes.

"Hey bro. I'll be down in a minute. I'm coming back after we're done, we're staying another night," he said into the phone after a few moments.

"Her too, huh?" he chuckled. "That sucks. Yeah she can come up here and stay with Bella until we get back, just give us a few minutes," he said and my eyes snapped open.

_Shit...I need clothes if she's coming up here...oh God...he tore my underwear last night too!...not that they would have covered much of anything...damn thongs!..._

"Yeah, bro. That sounds like a plan. I'll let her know. Call Jas and ask him if they wanna join us," he said as he nodded and I looked around the room for something I could wear.

_Well damn...I hope they have bathrobes in the bathroom or something_ ... I thought as I spotted absolutely nothing that I could wear while sleeping and groaned as I collapsed back onto the bed. He spoke to Emmett for a minute longer before snapping his phone shut and turning toward me.

"Rose is coming up. She's tired and cranky and wants to go back to sleep. Apparently they had a long night as well," he chuckled.

"Edward, I have nothing to wear and you ripped my underwear last night...not that they'd do me any good at the moment anyway," I grumbled. He sat up and shed his button down from the night before and handed it to me as he stood from the bed.

"It smells like smoke from the club, but it's better than nothing," he said as he shed his pants and boxers, tossing me the boxers before sliding his pants back on.

"If I didn't love you so much, I'd be totally grossed out about wearing your dirty skivvies," I chuckled as I slid them on underneath the blanket. He laughed as he sat back down on the bed and started buttoning the top that I had tossed my arms through.

"If I didn't love you so much, I wouldn't have your torn dirty skivvies in my pocket," he chuckled and my mouth dropped open as I stared at him in shock.

"Why in the hell are you saving my torn panties?" I asked as I scrunched my face up at him.

"A souvenir from the hottest most intense love making I've ever experienced in my life. These babies are goin' to the grave with me, and there better be a goofy grin on my face at my viewing so people can wonder what the hell I'm so damn happy about as they pass my casket," he chuckled and I guffawed as I swatted his arm.

"That's the most morbid thing I've ever fucking heard," I laughed. "But it's freaking hysterical at the same time! Jeez! I think my word vomit is rubbing off on you!"

"Feel free to rub on me any time you'd like," he smirked and I swatted him again as he leaned in for a kiss.

"I love you, my Bella," he said with a goofy grin as he pulled back.

"I love you too, goofball," I chuckled as he slid off the bed.

"I'm leaving you some cash in the nightstand in case you and Rose want to head down to the pool later. There's enough here for you two to buy some bathing suits down in the lobby shop, and food and drinks until we get back," he said as he dropped a wad of cash into the drawer and nudged it shut with his knee. I pursed my lips at him but nodded. I was shit out of luck in the money department at the moment, seeing as how my clutch, cash, and credit cards were all back on the island.

"Don't give me that look, love. It's either you use the cash or you charge it to the room. Either way I'm paying for it and I won't take no for an answer," he said with a smirk as he knelt down on the bed and leaned over to me. I pouted as he chuckled and pressed a kiss to my lips, but I didn't argue with him. I just silently resolved myself to finding a way to sneak whatever cash I used back into his wallet once we got back to the island.

"Thank you. What time do you think you guys will be back?" I asked as he slid off the bed again and picked up his shoes before sitting back down on the edge of the bed to put them on.

"Well...it's a little after eleven now...probably around six or seven. I'll have Emmett call Rosalie when we're on our way back since you don't have your phone," he replied just as someone rapped on the hotel room door.

"That's them. I'm gonna get going. I love you, baby. Get some more sleep," he said as he leaned toward me for one last kiss.

"Love you too, don't over exert yourself today," I said as I curled back up on my side and got comfortable. He smiled and winked as he brought his hand up to blow me a kiss before stepping out of the room. _Goofball_.

"Not one word," Rosalie grumbled as she strode in the bedroom door wearing Emmett's button down and boxers. I snickered as I moved over on the bed and pulled the blanket back for her.

"Nice getup...looks identical to mine," I chuckled.

"Yeah...well at least you didn't have to ride in an elevator in it and walk down halls with people giving you strange looks," she grumbled again and I covered my mouth as I snickered silently and she slid into the bed.

"Remind me to smack Charlie upside the head when we get back for waking me up not two hours after I had fallen asleep," she huffed as she yanked the blanket up to her shoulders and turned toward me.

"Sorry about that. Alice called me this morning and I spoke to him. Hopefully the worst is over. Got some interesting news though," I smirked and her eyes shot open, silently demanding me to spill whatever I was about to say.

"They're getting a divorce," I said and the bit my lip, trying not to smile because it was profoundly inappropriate in response to the situation.

"About goddamn time. Shit that only took what? Twenty four years?" she chuckled as she rolled her eyes. Of course, in typical Rosalie fashion, she drilled me for answers to an entire plethora of questions. Who asked for the divorce, how were they both handling it, was I upset...she laughed when I told her that apparently my father had found someone new before launching into a whole new round of questions. It wasn't until our conversation centered around how their assets were going to be split, and she found out that Charlie was pretty much giving Renee everything, that she grew quiet, her expression becoming a mix of disapproval slight worry.

"Stupid, stupid man," she grumbled, staring up at the ceiling and shaking her head. "Emmett did practically the same thing with Lauren to hasten the divorce. It took him two years to bounce back from the hole she put him into."

"Yeah well it's a good thing Charlie hasn't got much to lose aside from the house. The car is Renee's anyway so I don't know what she's bitching about it for. He uses the cruiser as his personal car, has ever since he became Chief. He hasn't got much else to split with her aside from his pension when he retires, and I'll help them both financially when that time comes, because even with the full amount they wouldn't be able to live off of it comfortably," I said as I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling with her.

"You know...it amazes me that after everything they've done wrong in your life, you're still willing to help them, and you do it happily. If I had been you I would have peaced out at eighteen and never looked back," she chuckled.

"I have to, Rose. They're my parents. Yeah, they've messed up at times and hurt me, but they weren't completely horrid parents. It's not like they abused me or anything," I replied as I rolled my eyes and turned toward her.

"I'm not saying they were horrible parents, Bells...but _shit_, they could have been at least a _little_ supportive of your dreams, or at the very least, showed you that they were proud of you when you succeeded," she stressed as she rolled onto her side as well.

"Rose...you know Charlie. He's the definition of stoic. He told me he was proud of me. I didn't expect some giant, earth shattering response from him, his words were good enough for me. And Renee... well... Renee was excited for all of five minutes until she started rattling something off about some book club that she was joining," I chuckled. Rosalie scoffed and rolled her eyes, bringing her hand up to point at me.

"That right there is what I'm talking about. It's no wonder you've had personal issues for so goddamn long. How the hell were you ever supposed to have confidence in yourself when your own damn parents never showed any confidence in you and your abilities?" she grumbled angrily. I was just about to respond to her when her expression changed and she smirked at me with a playful glint in her eyes.

"I have to say though...you _definitely_ weren't lacking any confidence last night when you tore that dance floor up. Honestly, Bells...I _never_ woulda thought you had it in you," she chuckled. I blushed and bit my lip as I grinned at her.

"You did your own fair share of tearing that floor up as well," I chuckled as her eyes glazed over.

"Hell if I didn't have Emmett, and Julio was straight...I woulda been tearing something else up last night as well," she laughed and I smacked her as I chuckled and yawned.

"Don't do that shit...it's contagious," she chastised as she yawned and I chuckled again.

"We probably should get another hour or two of sleep...then we can grab something to eat," I said as I closed my eyes.

"Sounds like a plan...but for fuck's sake those curtains need to be drawn," she grumbled as she slid from the bed and tore them closed, cloaking us in darkness before sliding back into the bed. I said a quick goodnight to her as I rolled onto my other side and made myself comfortable. She mumbled hers back and within minutes I was fast asleep again.

"We look like _idiots_," I grumbled as we crossed the lobby two and a half hours later.

We had woken up and showered, and both came to the sudden realization that the only clothes we had were our club outfits from the night before. Neither of us even had a hairbrush, much less any make up. With wet, tangled hair that we combed through as best we could with our fingers, and donning our dresses and heels, we decided to make a mad dash to the first store in the hotel that we could find in hopes of finding some appropriate clothing, as well as some necessary toiletries.

"Could be worse...I could have no panties on like you," she chuckled. I scowled at her and once again tried in vain to smooth my hair down as best I could.

"We should have just ordered room service and hid in the cave until the guys returned," I said, picking up my pace as I saw a store in a line of shops that looked promising.

"Chill out girlie. It's not like we're the first women to ever take the walk of shame through these halls. At least we've showered, and washed away all the tell tale signs of being thoroughly sexed up just hours before," she chuckled. I actually had to laugh at that, and my mood lightened significantly.

"Speaking of last night... I asked Edward to come back to Seattle with me," I told her as we perused through racks of clothing.

"What'd he say?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she took in my goofy grin. I nodded to her and she squealed quietly, avoiding drawing any more attention to us than was already being bestowed upon our disheveled appearances.

"Is he leaving with us when we fly back?" she asked, holding a simple gauze summer dress in my direction. I took it from her as I shook my head.

"No, he's gonna stay and head up with Emmett at the end of the summer, which I completely understand. I can't expect him to drop everything immediately, but knowing that he'll be coming up there to stay makes it easier to think of us leaving," I replied. She nodded as she pulled a dress similar to the one she had handed me off the rack and held it out in front of her, pursing her lips at it.

"Why don't you just stay with him on the island until the end of the summer? I mean really, what exactly are you going to do once you get back home anyway?" she asked as she thrust the dress back on the rack and pulled out another one.

"I would if I could, but with the book hitting the market in September, Angela is lining up a book tour to promote it. Plus, I'd really like to have some work done on the house before he comes up, and I have to head back to move out of the apartment before the lease is up," I said, wishing that it were a possibility.

"When does the tour start? And when is your lease up?" she asked as she nodded at the dress in her hand and motioned toward the dressing room area.

"Last I heard, she was planning for the first appearance to be in Seattle mid-August. The lease on the apartment is up at the end of July...oh my god...Rose? When is our flight back?" I asked, stopping dead in my tracks.

"The twenty fifth, it's a Saturday and we'll arrive in Seattle Sunday evening. We have a six hour layover in Texas. Alice isn't pleased but it was the only thing available when she booked it," she grimaced.

"Sweet Jesus...how am I going to pull off moving all that shit in five days?" I muttered with wide eyes, making a mental note to call the rental office during the week to give them the required notice of my planned departure.

"Hm...Alice can probably have her brothers and some of her cousins move the big stuff out while we're here with her spare keys, and then all you have to worry about when you get home is your clothing and whatever little things they leave behind," she offered.

"No...I can't do that to them. I'll just hire a moving company and ask Angela if she and Ben can be there to supervise. I don't need some strange dude sifting through my undies with no one around to catch him," I said as a shudder ripped through me. She laughed as she stepped into a dressing room and shut the door. I stepped into my own and made quick work of trying the dress on. I didn't really care what I ended up wearing as long as it didn't look rumpled and positively reek of smoky club atmosphere.

I stepped out of the dressing room quickly, and snatched up a pair of white flip flops to go with the dress while I waited for Rosalie to emerge from her dressing room. I had wandered over to a section of bathing suits by the time she came out and found me. We grabbed a pair of bikinis and headed up to the register, where Rose insisted on paying with her credit card, before heading to the next shop in hopes of finding at least the bare minimum of a hairbrush and pair of toothbrushes. On our travels, we discussed ways we could get all the moving and redecorating done before I had to depart on the book tour.

By the time we got back to the room, I was really beginning to hope there was a way I could push the start of that tour back at least for a couple of weeks. Maybe I could convince Angela to pity me enough to put it off until Edward arrived, that way he could join us on it. That thought made me smile as I changed quickly into the bikini and tossed the gauze dress over it.

We grabbed a quick bite to eat at a little bar and restaurant attached to the hotel lobby before making our way out to the pool. After taking a quick dip, we laid out in the sun and I strategically covered the parts of my skin where I had been burned, attempting to even out my coloring. I was beginning to hate the nickname two-tone, which Rosalie had snickered at me as soon as I lifted the gauze dress over my head. I mock laughed at her and threw the dress in her face before heading off to jump into the water.

"I'm frying," I said an hour or so later. I had been tossing and turning on my lounge chair, and fanning myself for the better part of a half hour, having thoroughly dried and begun sweating in the suffocating heat of the day. "I'm getting back in the water...you coming?"

"Yeah...I'll be in as soon as I finish this article," she said distantly, flipping the page of the magazine she had purchased in one of the lobby shops. I nodded and lifted myself from the chair to make my way back into the water. I had been floating around in the water for quite a while before she slid into the pool and swam up to me.

"Em just called. They're on their way back with Alice and Jasper. Apparently we're going sight seeing tomorrow," she said.

"Where are we going?"

"He said something about 'Cristo Redentor', 'Sugar Loaf Mountain', and 'Jardim Botanico' or something like that," she said and I smiled.

"I've wanted to see Cristo Redentor for _years_," I said excitedly.

"What the hell is it?" she chuckled.

"It's that _huge_ statue of Christ that Rio is practically identified by," I informed her. She grinned excitedly.

We swam around for a little while longer, our conversation drifting back toward things we needed to do once we got back to Seattle. Once we were settled back on our loungers, Rose gave me some ideas for some other renovations that could be done to the house...like adding a back deck where shitty stairs leading to a concrete slab of a patio currently stood. I laughed hysterically as we joked about the mobile home steps attached to the nearly half a million dollar home I had purchased.

I honestly hadn't ever paid any attention to them before, and the only time they were ever really used was when Jacob would head out back to get the lawnmower out of the shed. We never entertained out there or anything of the likes...hell we didn't really _know_ any people in Seattle to entertain out there aside from Alice and Rosalie...and Rose veered away from the house at all costs when Jacob was around. Looking back now, I completely understood why. He was an insufferable _ass_ ninety percent of the time.

Most people would assume that it was Rosalie that started the drama every time the two of them were forced to reside within the same area for any given amount of time, and I have to admit, for a long time I had assumed the same thing. Rosalie loves to push buttons, especially the buttons of individuals that she has an obvious distaste for, but after we started living together it became blatantly obvious that the problem _wasn't_ Rose...it was Jake. Every time she would enter the house he would have some stupid snide remark to throw at her, and over time I began wondering if he didn't have a "kindergarten crush" on her. With all the revelations regarding Jacob that I'd had since departing Seattle, I was really beginning to question my sanity for having endured all the bullshit for so long. They say that your vision in hindsight is 20/20...what the hell was I looking through at the time? Coke bottle glasses?

"Rose...I'm heading up. I'll leave the door unlocked in case you come up," I said as I sat up in the chair and tossed my gauze dress over my shoulder and slipped my flip flops on. She flashed me a quick okay sign, letting me know she heard me as I stood from my chair.

I made my way up to the room, contemplating just how different things would be living in that house again...with Edward. I couldn't, for the life of me, wipe the goofy grin off my face as I pictured the six of us gathering together for holidays at one of our houses, or sharing intimate moments with Edward in random areas of the house. I damn near laughed out loud as a vision of him cursing a tangled string of Christmas lights while standing on a ladder flitted through my head. By the time I unlocked our door, I was damn near giddy from the prospect of all the memories that we all had yet to create.

As I entered the room, and yet another yet to be made memory flitted through my head, it dawned on me just how much I had changed over the course of just a few weeks...and I had but one person to thank for that. In just two weeks of knowing him I had gone from a shell of a person, not living by _any_ means but simply existing and dreading the coming of yet another day, to someone who wanted to embrace life and all it had to offer while eagerly anticipating the next day to come.

Wanting to do something nice for him for a change, and possibly show him just how thankful I was that he somehow managed to come into my life, I tossed my dress on and grabbed some cash from the drawer before bolting back out of the room and down to the lobby. I was hoping to be able to set everything up before he arrived. I ran into the shop where I had seen the items I would need, quickly filled my arms and paid before dashing back up to the room and placing a quick call to room service.

I ran the water in the tub extra hot, not wanting it to get cold before he arrived, and lit all the candles I had purchased around the tub. As the water ran, I added some of the complimentary bubble bath, and then headed back into the room. Apparently while we were down at the pool housekeeping had tidied up our room and made the bed, saving me one thing to do as I set the bottle of body oil on the nightstand. I pulled the blanket and sheet down, and folded it over itself at the foot of the bed.

I had just run into the bathroom to shut the water off when there was a knock on the door. On my way up to the door, I grabbed some cash out of the drawer for a tip and quickly thanked the gentleman as I took the bucket of iced champagne and glasses from him. He notified me that our food would be up promptly at eight as I had requested, and I asked him to have them just come in and set it up on the balcony and I would leave a tip on the table. He smiled and nodded before turning to leave, and I wandered back to the bathroom to deposit the bucket and glasses on the empty corner of the tub.

I changed into one of the bathrobes hanging under the towel rack in the bathroom, and tossed two towels on the corner of the sink next to the tub before passing a brush quickly through my hair. I only had one last thing to do to make it perfect before he arrived, and I darted out of the bathroom to grab the radio alarm clock from the nightstand. After hooking it all up, I hurriedly started flipping through the digital stations looking for something relaxing.

I was nearly growling as I started my third run through all the stations and not finding _anything_ even remotely close to what I was looking for when it stopped on a fuzzy station that I _swore_ I could hear a mix of a piano and something else that I couldn't make out. I quickly lifted the radio in the air and started moving it around, trying to get better reception to hear what it was. I had just gotten it to clear up, and I smiled when I heard the classical music float through the speakers, but then quickly frowned as I realized I had another dilemma. I was holding the stupid thing way above my head, and there was nothing within reach that I could set it on to keep the reception.

"Baby...what on Earth are you doing?" Edward called out from somewhere behind me. I shrieked, startled beyond belief that I hadn't heard him enter the room, and in typical Bella fashion dropped the stupid clock and clobbered myself right in the bridge of my nose with it.

"Mother!" I wailed as my hands flew up to my face and tears rapidly filled my eyes.

"Oh shit..." he muttered as he bolted into the bathroom from where he had been standing just outside the bathroom.

"Love are you okay? Lemme see," he said frantically as he peeled my hands away from my nose.

"I'm fine...I'm fine...it just stings a little," I assured him as he gently ran his thumb up my nose and between my eyebrows.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," he whispered as he pressed a soft kiss to what I was sure was an angry red mark at the top of my nose.

"It's not your fault...blame the clock radio," I chuckled.

"I have to ask...why were you holding a clock radio over your head in the bathroom?" he asked as he shook his head. I bit my lip as I smiled and fidgeted in place.

"I wanted to do something nice for you to show you how thankful I am for you, and I was trying to find some relaxing music," I said as his eyebrows furrowed together. I chuckled at his expression, just then realizing that he hadn't yet seen the tub and candles or the champagne when he darted into the bathroom.

"Relaxing music...in a bathroom..." he said as he looked at me like I'd lost my mind, only causing me to chuckle even more as I nodded.

"For your bath," I clarified as I pointed and he turned his confused gaze toward the tub.

"You did all this for me?" he asked, just above a whisper as his gaze turned back to me and a smile began to tug at the corners of his lips. I bit my lip as I smiled and nodded to him. In one swift motion, he pulled me to his chest and crashed his lips down on mine.

"I love you...so much," he said quietly, kissing my top lip before sucking my bottom lip in between his own. I placed my palm against his cheek, tenderly caressing his cheekbone with my thumb and smiled as he pulled his head back.

"I love you too. Now...how about that bath? You've had a hard day," I said, still smiling as I stepped away from him to check the temperature of the water.

He had perfect timing, it had cooled down just enough so that it was still hot but not scorching as it had been. Just as I was beginning to stand back up and turn back toward him, the clear sound of classical music floated through the bathroom. I pursed my lips as I turned around and saw that he had plugged it in on the opposite wall and rested the clock radio on top of the towel rack.

"Show off," I muttered, causing him to chuckle as he turned back to me after turning the volume down so that it softly filled the air surrounding us.

"How am I the showoff? You're the one that upstaged the bath I drew for you," he chuckled, pulling me into his arms. I smiled up at him as I started to lift the hem of his shirt. I placed a kiss on his chest, right over where his heart was pounding away beneath the surface and pulled back to look up at him.

"You took care of me that night... let me take care of you tonight," I whispered, leaning up to kiss his lips. He hummed as our lips met, and wrapped his arms around me, entangling one of his hands in my hair and drawing me even closer to him. My hands ran down his muscular back and followed the edge of his shorts around to the button as we kissed. With the button undone, and the zipper lowered, I pushed his shorts and boxers over his hips and let them drop to the floor.

"Get in the tub," I told him breathlessly as I pulled away from his lips. He frowned slightly down at me.

"Aren't you coming in with me?"

"Of course," I said with a bright smile. "I'll join you in just a second."

I slipped out of the bathroom as he made his way into the tub, and grabbed the bottle of soap and loofah sponge I had purchased, and quickly tossed a tip for the room service on the table in the front room.

"Scoot forward," I told him softly as I placed the items on the edge of the tub and shed my robe. I stepped in behind him and sank down into the hot water, placing my legs on both sides of him. He leaned back on me, resting his wet head against the left side of my chest as we slid further down into the water, and I smiled at the look of complete relaxation on his face. I kissed his temple as I reached for the sponge and brought it under the water, bringing it back up to trickle water over his deliciously tanned and toned chest.

"Mmmm...you're amazing, do you know that?" he practically purred as I ran the soaped up sponge across his skin gently. His arms had wrapped around my knees and his hands were slowly running up and down my calves under the water.

"You may have informed me of that a time or two," I chuckled lightly, moving the sponge to run down his arm.

"I mean it Isabella...You're perfect. Everything about you is perfect. Everything you do is perfect," he said as his eyes opened and he gazed intensely at me.

"You know, Edward. If you're full of shit you should be on the toilet...not in the tub," I chuckled.

"Bella!" he laughed, shaking his head as I chuckled behind him.

"Only you would be able to make a crass comment in such a romantic setting," he chuckled.

"Sorry," I muttered as I switched the sponge to my other hand.

"Don't be," he said softly, grabbing a hold of my hand and kissing my palm tenderly. "I love your sense of humor...and your word vomit."

"Even when it ruins the moment?"

"Love, there's nothing you could ever say to ruin a moment. I'd rather laugh with you in response to a completely unromantic comment in an overly romantic setting, than to never know what it feels like to be so completely in love with someone while knowing that they feel the same for you," he replied, lacing our fingers together and kissing my fingertips.

"Don't bet on that," I chuckled. "I'm sure I'll come up with something at some point."

"Lean forward so I can get your back," I said softly. He leaned forward and grabbed a hold of the champagne bottle.

"Careful with that cork...I've already been attacked by a clock radio tonight." He laughed and I flinched as I heard the distinct pop come from in front of him.

"You alive back there?" he chuckled. I swatted at his back as I laughed and reached for the bottle of soap.

I took the glass he passed over his shoulder as I made slow circles across his back with the sponge, completely entranced by the way the bubbles slid over his muscles down to the water.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?" I hummed back to him, still entranced by the damn bubbles.

"What's your house like in Seattle?" he asked and I smiled as I tore my attention away from his back and took a sip of champagne.

"It's older, but it was renovated before I bought it. It's kind of Victorian style and it was built in the seventies I think, on about an acre of ground. The front and back yards have a few trees, but the fence in the back lines up with a thick patch of woods separating our street from the one behind it. It's on an Oak and Spruce tree lined street, and it's two stories, yellow with white trim, and a has wrap around porch with a swing."

"The neighborhood is pretty quiet, it's kind of like a little slice of country set within the city. They used to close the street off for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day for community bar-b-ques and stuff. My favorite was Christmas though. The day after Thanksgiving everyone started putting up their lights and decorations and it looked beautiful when they were all lit up during the first snowfall," I replied wistfully. I really did miss living there.

"You said it has a garage right?" he asked as he refilled my glass and his own.

"Yeah, there's a three car garage with a storage loft above it that's attached to the laundry room," I replied and he nodded.

"What's the inside like?" he asked curiously and I laughed.

"Uhh...it's got beautiful hardwood flooring throughout the house, except in the kitchen where it's some kind of stone tiling. There's a beautiful fireplace in the living room with three tall windows. Most of the walls are white because I was too lazy and lacked enough creativity to paint them, and it has what Alice likes to call a hodge podge hobo furniture motif," I chuckled.

"A what?" he laughed.

I chuckled lightly and put my glass down after taking a sip. "When I moved in I bought random pieces of furniture to fill the place. Cheap furniture too. None of it matches...well what's left of it after Jacob moved out anyway."

"So that's why you were looking at furniture online," he chuckled.

"Yeah...I'd be kind of embarrassed for you to see how I had it decorated," I admitted as I leaned back against the tub. He leaned back against me and brought our entwined hands up to rest on his chest.

"You know I could care less about furniture or any of that stuff right? As long as you're there that's all that matters to me," he said softly as his thumbs caressed my hands and he tilted his head up to look at me. I nodded and bent my head down to place a chaste kiss against his lips.

"Switch spots with me," he said as he started to sit up.

"Not a chance bub...tonight's all about you. Are you ready for the second part of Bella Spoils Edward for Once Night?" I chuckled.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" he asked with a smoldering gaze after we had stood in the water.

"You made me one hell of a pina colada, and then numerous brunette goddesses that swept me off my feet," I replied jokingly. He laughed and stepped out of the tub, offering me his hand to help me out. I grabbed one of the towels and took my time drying him off, placing random kisses across his skin as I went before swatting his hand away and quickly toweling myself off. I handed him a robe and tossed mine back on before releasing the plug from the tub and leading him out of the bathroom.

I grinned widely when I spotted the table on the balcony that room service had set up for us, complete with a white linen table cloth, lit candles in hurricane glasses to avoid being blown out by the breeze, and a bottle of wine being chilled in a bucket of ice. I chanced a quick glimpse up at him as he stopped walking and bit my lip nervously as I took in his glistening eyes and taken aback expression.

"Too much?" I asked nervously, fidgeting in my spot as I toed the carpet and worried my lip furiously. Before I could even think about what was happening, he had swooped me up in his arms and tossed me on the bed as I squealed and he collapsed on top of me, running his lips over every inch of skin that he could find on my neck and upper chest.

"You have no idea...how much...what you've done tonight...means to me," he said in between kisses on my skin, his voice thick with emotion and trembling slightly as he tugged at the ties on my robe.

"Means to you or turns you on?" I chuckled, feeling heat rapidly spread throughout my body as he slowly parted the front of my robe and ran his nose and lips across the newly revealed skin.

"Both. No one's ever done anything like this for me," he whispered, his warm breath fanning across my skin as he slowly made his way up my stomach and chest. I bit back a moan as his tongue trailed across my skin and his lips came down upon it with a slight sucking sound as he kissed a spot right between my breasts.

"Edward," I groaned as his hand traveled up my stomach and came to rest on my breast. "You're dinner's gonna get cold."

"It can wait...there's nothing I need more right now than you." I moaned in response to both his words and the feeling of his lips enclosing around my nipple. My hands came up to the ties on his robe, tugging and pulling at the fabric desperately to rid the barrier between our skin. I sighed happily as it finally parted and he lowered himself down upon me again. I could feel the tip of his erection already at my entrance as he lifted his head from where he had been sucking on my neck and gazed into my eyes.

"I love you, my Bella," he whispered, holding my face between both of his hands as he slid slowly into me. My eyes rolled back and I moaned as my legs and arms wrapped around him under his robe.

"I want to wake up every morning to see your hair splayed across our pillows," he said as he moved slowly within me, and then kissed my chin.

"I want to spend every night wrapped in your arms and legs and listening to every beautiful sound you make as we make love," he continued, causing me to whimper and my eyes to tear.

"I want to spend cold winter nights making love to you on a pile of blankets in front of a fire while the snow falls outside," he said as he trailed his nose along my jaw and I sobbed, tightening my grip on him.

"I want to sleep in on Sundays and be woken up by our future beautiful children jumping on our bed," he kept going, gently wiping a tear away that had fallen from my eye. Every one of his thrusts into me was filled meaning, lavishing me with all the love he felt for me. His gaze into my eyes was intense and I could feel it burning into me from the roots of my hair straight down to my toes.

"Marry me, Bella...be my wife. Say you want all of this with me, that you want to spend the rest of your life with me," he said, keeping his gaze locked on mine as he stilled within me. His breath washed across my lips as his nose caressed mine and tears flowed from my eyes as my breaths shuddered in and out of me, mixed in with sobs as I nodded.

"Yes...God yes...I want it all with you. The mornings, the nights, the fireplaces, the children...all of it. I want you...always," I spluttered, grasping his face and peppering it with kisses. He laughed euphorically and crashed his lips down on mine in a fervent kiss, our tongues crashing together as we hummed and chuckled happily.

"Whoa!" I heard Rose shout. "Uhh...nevermind dinner...see you both in the morning." Edward and I broke apart rapidly as we both gasped in surprise and looked up to see Rosalie quickly retreating through the darkened side of the room toward the door. I looked back at Edward with wide eyes to see his startled face just before it dropped down onto my shoulder and we both laughed.

"Well...at least it wasn't Emmett," he chuckled into the crook of my neck. I laughed even harder, because really, what else was there for me to do besides laugh. I should have added lock the door on your way out to my list of requests when I called room service.

"Now there's a priceless story for the future grandchildren when they ask how you proposed," I laughed and he cracked up.

"I don't think this would have been a very child friendly story to tell to begin with," he chuckled as he lifted himself to rest on his elbows above me.

"I'm sorry...I really should have planned that better," he said with a grimace. I grasped his face in my hands and lifted my head to kiss his lips gently.

"Don't be...it fit us perfectly," I replied as I looked up at him, caressing his legs with my feet.

"I love you. You're everything to me...thank you for accepting my rather unconventional proposal," he chuckled. I grinned widely as I pulled his face down to mine, securing my lips to his firmly, and instantly feeling him harden again within me.

Rosalie's interruption had startled him so bad he had gone momentarily soft, and I worried that she had thoroughly ruined the moment. I was more than ecstatic to feel that wasn't the case, and hear it as he groaned and started moving within me again.

His thrusts picked up speed and force as he broke away from my lips and kissed his way down the side of my neck, and continued to whisper things he wanted us to experience together, each one driving me further and further toward oblivion. By the time he started telling me about how he couldn't wait to make love to me while I was swollen with his child, I was clamped down around him and practically screaming in my release as he drove into me and joined me in flying over the edge and collapsing on top of me in a breathless heap.

After we regained our ability to move, we cleaned up quickly and made our way out onto the balcony to eat our dinners that were no longer warm. He pulled me onto his lap and we took turns feeding each other, smiling like goons and sharing passionate kisses frequently.

"I do plan to redo that entire proposal," he chuckled after taking a sip of his wine and placing the glass back on the table that held our empty plates and burnt down candles. They had melted down so far they were nearly ready to extinguish themselves.

"What for? It was perfect," I replied as I looked at him curiously.

"Well first of all, I don't have your ring on me. Second of all, I was supposed to be down on one knee...not on my elbows on top of you. And last...because you deserve to have the whole grand romantic gesture," he said as he tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.

"Edward," I sighed as I rested my forehead against his. "I don't need all that. I'm perfectly happy with how it happened. I'm just thrilled it happened at all."

"Doesn't matter if you don't need it. I want you to have it because you deserve it, and if I hadn't have asked you tonight, I _would_ have asked you at some point in the near future. You can be sure of that much," he responded adamantly.

"When did you know? That you wanted to propose I mean," I asked curiously.

"The day we went out on Em's boat," he replied and my brow furrowed as I tried to think of what would have lead him to think of it that day. He took in my expression and sighed quietly as he shifted slightly beneath me.

"Let's just say that the night before that day, I got a flash of what my life would be like without you, and it damn near killed me to think of it. I knew the next morning when I woke up with your hair all across my chest and face that you were it for me. There just wasn't a possible way that I could ever see my life without you in it," he replied, encircling me with his arms tightly.

"What about you? When did you know you'd accept if I did propose?" he asked and I smiled as I bit my lip.

"The day I was looking at furniture for the house. I couldn't picture a single room without you in it and I realized then that it was because I wanted you there with me always," I told him. He smiled and pulled me down to press his lips gently against mine.

"Come on...I have one more thing planned for you tonight," I said with a smile as I slid off his lap. I blew the candles out and covered our plates before pouring the last of the wine in our glasses and taking his hand to lead him inside.

"What else could you have possibly planned?" he chuckled. I smirked at him and pointed to the bed.

"Lose the robe and lay down on your stomach," I told him as I let go of his hand and moved around the other side of the bed. He dropped his robe and crawled across the bed, stunning me with his perfection, the hotel lights from outside casting a warm glow against his skin.

"Shouldn't I be on my back, not my stomach?" he smirked back at me as he settled himself on the mattress.

"Huh?" I mumbled, shaking my head minutely to rid myself of the fog that had instantly clouded my brain. He chuckled, knowing full well that I had just been stunned by the sight of him naked in front of me. I bit my lip and grabbed the bottle of oil from next to the bed and climbed over to him, straddling his rear.

"Bella...this really would work better if I rolled over," he chuckled and I pinched his side lightly. He yelped and started laughing as I chuckled. I flipped the lid to the bottle open, squirted a generous amount in my hand before closing the bottle and setting it to the side. I started with long strokes up and down his back, feeling the heat of the self-warming oil between our skin as he groaned and buried his head into a pillow.

"Fuck that feels good," he groaned again. I smiled and bit my lip as I added a little more oil to my hands and began working out the knots in his back. His muscles were so tense, and it made me wonder if anyone had ever even given him a massage before.

"Where did you learn to do this?" he asked as I started in on another knot.

"A few years ago Renee went on a kick where she wanted to be a masseuse. She dragged me to these...I can't really call them _classes_, as they were more like instructional seminars where we had to practice on the partners we came with," I chuckled.

"Remind me to thank her for that temporary whim when I meet her," he chuckled and then groaned again as I hit yet another knot in his back. I worked my way across every inch of his back, making sure I found and relaxed every tensed area.

"Has anyone _ever_ done this for you? Your back was riddled with knots," I said with a slight frown. That _had_ to have been painful for him.

"No," he sighed as he turned his head to the side. "I really don't like to be touched by random people, and in my last relationship it was always me doing the massaging."

I pursed my lips and fought off a growl in response to his words. It pissed me off that someone could neglect him that way, but yet expect him to tend to them. That's just not how relationships are supposed to work. At least Jacob had one redeeming quality in that he at least occasionally _tried_ to give me a massage...he just sucked at it.

"Well...that's just unacceptable. I hereby declare Friday nights to be Edward's Massage Night," I said as I leaned forward and pressed a kiss right between his shoulder blades.

"Deal," he said quickly. "You and your heavenly hands can have Fridays, but every other night of the week is Worship Bella Night," he chuckled. I laughed and splayed my hands across his lower back, my thumbs aligning with his spine and used my body weight to press down as I slid them up toward his shoulders slowly. He groaned loudly as I worked my way up, trailing off to a whimper as I scooted forward and started working on his shoulders and neck.

As I worked my way down the top halves of his arms, his groans became quieter, each progressive one becoming more of a hum. I smiled as I turned around, added more oil to my hands and started working on his legs. This poor man was gonna feel like Jell-O in the morning. His hums became less frequent and quieter as I worked my way down his legs to his feet, and by the time I reached his feet, he was lightly snoring. I couldn't wipe the shit eating grin off my face to save my life, feeling quite pleased with myself that I had relaxed him so thoroughly he had fallen asleep.

I finished my attention on his feet and slid off the bed to place the bottle on the nightstand. I walked off into the bathroom and wet a rag with hot water and wrung out the excess before walking back into the room to wipe him down so he wouldn't wake up all sticky. He hummed lightly as I passed the rag over his skin, causing me to smile yet again before tossing the rag back in the bathroom.

When I came back out, he had rolled onto his side, his arm stretched out next to him with his palm against the mattress as if he were looking for me in his sleep. I climbed into the bed after shedding my robe and pulled the sheet up over us, forgoing the blanket since the balcony door was open instead of the air being on. I kissed his lips softly, lifted his arm, and curled myself into him and bringing his arm down over my side with our fingers entwined and resting against my chest. With a kiss to his fingers, I closed my eyes and sighed happily.

"I love you," I whispered and fell asleep in the arms of the man I couldn't wait to spend the rest of my life with.

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**AN: Review Review Review! Please, Thank you, and Love you! There should be a link going up in my profile tonight for a pic of Bella's house. Keep your eyes out for it. Next chapter might possibly be another EPOV. And come join up with me on Twitter, link in profile. ^_^ ~Jersey~**


	19. Embracing Futures and Confronting Pasts

**AN: I know how much you all patiently, or sometimes impatiently lol, wait for updates to this story, but as we're moving forward in the storyline, the chapters are getting a bit more difficult for me to write. Blame it on the major FAIL that is my RL, or my difficulties in being able to jump between two drastically different mindsets when writing TOF and ABH simultaneously...either or will work LOL. In sincere apology for my severely decreased update frequency, I present a gift for you all...just a little poetic humor. I hope you enjoy it ^_^ This random poetic injustice was inspired by a late night, or early morning depending on how you view it, banter session on Twitter with some of my favorite forum ladies...**

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Ode to Accidents

Flitter thy twitter, turn it into a spitter that litters.

Let thou not fill me and thus create that which doth patter and pitter

Ahh... but my dear, I hath already done tweeted your twiitter.

Tis fine to hath flittered and tweeded but hath not seeded,

for in unseeded twitter, I shall remain forever unbitter.

Does one not want which may come to both patter and pitter?

Not for want just to want or wish just to wish, the twitter must remain

void of that which will come to both patter and pitter,

for I have no sitter for a critter created by a quick flitter to thy twitter.

Then my love we shall have to seek a sitter for the critter,

for the seed has indeed unfortunately forsaken thou twitter...

What?!

Honey...the condom broke.

~Jersey~

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Disclaimer- I don't own this shizz...but I do own that pitiful excuse for poetic humor LOL

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Embracing Futures and Confronting Pasts

EPOV

I awoke early the following morning, feeling _unbelievably _relaxed, and a nearly face splitting grin formed across my face instantly as my recollection of the events of the night before entered my awareness. The amazing creature that I'd awoken to, sprawled out across my torso, her mahogany hair splayed across my chest and face, had accepted my...well let's face it, my rather disgraceful proposal, but she'd accepted it nonetheless.

Her antics really must have been rubbing off on me, because never before in my life had I _ever_ suffered from such a horrid degree of either word vomit or foot in mouth disease...or maybe it was an acute case of 'I can't seem to shut my mouth' as I rambled and told her all the things I had envisioned us experiencing together. I couldn't figure out which was the actual culprit of that incredibly indecent proposal. I didn't care if she didn't need or want for me to do it the right way, I was damn sure going to redeem myself.

She really was an amazing woman, so tender and affectionate, loving and sincere. She was everything I could have ever wanted, and more than I could have ever hoped for, and her father was going to _murder_ me.

You can often get a good feel for a person within the first few minutes of meeting them. Generally speaking you can usually predict how they will react to certain events based on their demeanor and the way in which they speak. I didn't need a few minutes of meeting Charlie face to face to know that as soon as he caught wind of this...I was going to be running for my fucking life. Not only had his daughter met someone and fallen in love over an impossibly short amount of time, she'd also shaken his entire world by going against every wide held notion on what was proper timing in which to blend one's life with another in cohabitation. As if he didn't loathe me enough at the moment, and I had no doubt that he did but was resolved to masking it for the time being in light of his daughter's current level of happiness, loathe wouldn't even come close to being able to describe what he was going to feel toward me when he caught wind of our recent engagement not twenty four hours after he had last spoken to her.

I gently brushed the hair away from the side of my angel's face,and as carefully as I could possibly manage, I rolled us so that she was on her back and nestled into the pillows before unraveling myself from her limbs. With a whisper of a kiss to her temple, I slid from the bed and grabbed my bag before heading into the bathroom. I instantly found myself grinning again, despite my level of future father in-law induced anxiety, as I recalled being wrapped in her limbs as we sat in the bath she had drawn for me...for us

Vivid images flashed through my mind of our night, only serving to increase the throbbing in my groin to a near painful degree as I stood under steaming spray of the shower. Watching her loofah clad hand caress my skin as she washed me, showering me with a tenderness that I had never known. Seeing the all too enticing way that her lips softly puckered as she blew out the candles, and the way her robe hugged her sinful curves as she reached down to pull the plug from the tub. I nearly groaned at the vivid imagery of her bathrobe barely covering the perfectly rounded swell of her bottom as she leaned over the side of the tub.

_Crap...breakfast...breakfast. I was getting up to fetch her breakfast in bed..._

I quickly finished washing, thinking of the mundane tasks I needed to tend to once we returned to the resort, and steadfastly ignoring the painful throbbing that had taken up what seemed to be a permanent residence in my groin. There hadn't been a single day that had transpired since I first laid eyes on her where I didn't find myself walking funny, and at times being nearly bent over in pain. She had awakened something in me that I never even knew lurked beneath the surface. Sure I had felt the pull of attraction before in my life, and even experienced a fair amount of lust, but none of it ever compared to what she caused to stir within me. If I had to describe the difference, I'd go as far to say that everything in my past had could have been regarded as a few clouds and a light mist, whereas what coursed through me when I saw or even thought about her was nothing short of a class five hurricane.

I went to check on her briefly after drying off and dressing, hoping I hadn't disturbed her when I'd left the bed and turned on the shower, and nearly had to clutch my chest as my heart thudded irregularly, and my groin throbbed painfully upon seeing her sprawled across the bed with the sheet barely keeping hidden the most divine canvas of flesh that I had ever seen. Her legs were tangled around the fabric, that had slipped down so low when she rolled over, that it was just barely caressing the skin at the small of her back and flowing over the swell of her elevated hip. Her breasts were shielded from view only minimally by the gentle taper of her arm, a soft swell of flesh peeking out from beneath.

As I gazed down upon her slumbering form, her mahogany hair splayed wildly against the crisp white of the bedding, my heart forcefully pounding slow and unsteady, and yet possessing a strange rhythmic pattern to its irregularity against my chest...words that had once been spoken by my mother bubbled up into my conscious thoughts, adding a pang of true hurt to what had only moments before been oddly beautiful in its discomfort.

"_Love hurts my dear child, but if it's true love, the pain is not only endurable but it is beautiful in its discomfort. When you find the one that your heart sings to, the one who makes your heart skip beats and form its own rhythm with which to serenade its counterpart, you must hold on to that person and never let them go, for it is with that person that you will find true and eternal happiness."_

I had been just shy of fourteen when she had said those words to me. I hadn't thought about those words in years, but I could remember them at that moment as if she had just said them, as well as what had led up to her reciting them. It had been the middle of a school year and a new girl had moved to town and began attending my school. Admittedly she had been the first girl I had ever had a crush on, and embarrassingly enough I had gotten some instant notion in my head that she was "the one". When she turned me down, I was heartbroken. My mother had soothed me with her words that day, and I had carried them with me throughout the years after she had passed. I carried them with me through my belated growth spurt that finally cast me out of my dwarfed lanky frame, and used them as a shield against the sudden female attention that began coming at me from all sides practically overnight... including in the form of the girl that had once turned me down.

I thought I had known what my mother was trying to tell me, I really did. I had turned down girl after girl throughout high school because my heart didn't react in any specific or noticeable way when I was near them. It hadn't reacted at all until Tanya. When I had met her, my mother's words had instantly provided me with the comfort that I had found the person I was meant to be with because when in her presence in the beginning, there would be a strange fluttering sensation in my chest. Her words lulled me into false comfort when my heart began to constrict routinely over the duration of our relationship, creating a war between my mind and the painful throbbing in my chest. My mind telling me that something was wrong, and my the pain in my heart reminding me of my mother's words to never let go of the person that caused that sensation.

Looking back now...I don't think I could have ever possibly misunderstood what she was saying to any greater degree. The pain that had resided in my chest during our two year courtship was just that...pain. There was nothing beautiful in its discomfort, nor did I ever find anything even slightly endurable about it. It just fucking hurt...constantly. It hurt because I knew something wasn't right between us. Deep down I knew she wasn't faithful and that her vows of love were false. I knew it and ignored it because of that damn pain.

It wasn't until that moment, standing in front of that bed where the love of my life peacefully slept, that I truly understood her words. My heart wasn't constricting, it wasn't trying to tell me something was wrong, it was singing. It was serenading its counterpart, which was undoubtedly beating a steady rhythm in the steady rising and falling chest of my one true love, my Bella, and it was above and beyond being just merely beautiful. The feeling of it, and knowing what it was, was absolutely divine. I closed my eyes momentarily, reveling in the haunting resonance of its erratic rhythm, and within it I found my strength. Even Charlie standing in front of me, brandishing a shotgun menacingly with my name etched upon the barrel, would never be enough to separate me from her. Only one person held enough power to do that, and that person was Bella herself.

"What are you so damn chipper about this morning?" Emmett grumbled, shuffling his way toward me looking thoroughly exhausted as I stood waiting for the elevator, smiling at abso-fucking-lutely nothing and everything at the same exact moment.

"Damn...was your romp in the bathrobes that good last night?" he chuckled, his voice rough with sleep.

"Bro, not that it wasn't earth shattering...and I'm pissed that Rose told you by the way..." I trailed off, completely unable for the life of me to wipe the shit eating grin off my face as I chuckled, "but that's not even the start of it."

"Well what the hell is it then? Seriously bro, I haven't seen you this damn euphoric since you got a damn Sega Dreamcast for like your tenth birthday or some shit," he chuckled.

"How do you feel about becoming a brother?" I asked, my grin impossibly growing larger.

"What?" he asked as his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "I already am a brother you dolt. _Your_ brother...though I'm seriously considering revoking that title and sending you to the nut farm."

"Okay let me rephrase that," I laughed as we stepped onto the elevator. "How would you feel about becoming a brother _again_?"

"Mom's pregnant?! No fucking way! Bro we're almost thirty fucking years old! How's dad not shooting blanks by now?!" he wailed with a look somewhere between pure horror and revulsion. I cracked up laughing, even managing to snort a few times as I bent over, slapping my leg and shaking my head.

"No..no," I chortled, trying to calm myself. "Mom's not...not pregnant."

"Edward...I'm too tired for this shit. Is this one of your and Jasper's retarded games? Cause seriously, if you two are gonna do this shit all day Rose and I are going sightseeing on our own," he grumbled, turning to face the elevator doors with his arms crossed across his chest.

"No," I chuckled, rolling my eyes. "I guess I just should have asked you how you feel about becoming Bella's brother." He spun toward me, eyeing me cautiously while warring with himself internally on whether or not to call bullshit on me. I quirked a brow at him as I caught the inside of my lip in between my teeth and tried to stop myself from grinning like a goddamn fool. It wasn't working too well however.

"Are you serious? You're not fucking with me...you're really going to ask her to marry you?" he asked, and my lip sprung from my teeth as the goon grin burst free.

"I already did," I muttered quickly and then mashed my lips together, waiting for his reply.

"Well? What the fuck did she say? Don't hold out on me now asshole!" he said excitedly, beaming like a five year old who just got handed a giant wad of cotton candy on a stick.

"I swear you're mentally challenged sometimes," I mused as I shook my head. "Would I be this goddamn happy if she'd said no?"

"Bella's gonna be my sister...Baby girl's really gonna be my baby girl..." he said quietly, his voice distant before his eyes snapped back into focus and I found myself being crushed to his chest.

"Thank you...Goddamn I'm happy for the two of you," he said, grinning wide as he stood back. I looked at him as though he had just sprouted another head.

"What the hell are you thanking me for?"

"Jackass...you're the retarded one. For giving me the best sister I could have ever asked for!" he bellowed just as the doors to the elevator opened and he darted out between them, and achieving numerous strange looks as his overly loud voice boomed and echoed through the ground floor, greeting every person whose path he crossed with the same excited words.

"My brother's getting married!" I dropped my head as I shook it and stepped off the elevator, only lifting it to smile apologetically at the startled faces of the people I passed by in his wake.

"Emmett," I whisper yelled as I finally caught up with him at the breakfast buffet.

"Dude...I can't believe you're getting freaking married!" he boomed, earning more startled and strange looks from the surrounding people who were trying to enjoy a peaceful breakfast.

"Shut up idiot...you've already scared three quarters of the conscious people you've come across in the last five minutes, annoyed the other quarter, and possibly woken every person still sleeping within a ten mile radius. And if Rosalie and Alice haven't heard your ass already, you need to keep your mouth shut," I said, trying to come across as annoyed but failing miserably when I couldn't suppress my chuckles for a full thirty seconds much less a minute and a half.

"Why?" he whined, looking every bit the petulant child that he sounded like at the moment.

"Don't you think that this is news she'd like to be able to tell her best friends? Shit...I should have stayed in bed. What was I thinking coming down to get breakfast for us? I should have known you would be up as soon as the buffet opened," I grumbled half heartedly as I shook my head.

"If it means that much to ya I'll keep my mouth shut...but you better wipe that luckiest man on the planet look off your face before Jasper catches it. That man's worse at keeping a secret than Chatty Cathy the town gossip at a knitting party," he laughed as we made our way down the buffet line, filling our trays with food for both ourselves and our still sleeping significant others.

"When the hell did you find time to buy a ring? I was with you the whole time we've been over here," he said and I cringed slightly as he pointed out just one of the ways I had screwed that proposal up.

"I didn't buy one," I said, and tried to explain but he cut me off as he turned toward me, brandishing a pair of tongs holding slices of bacon.

"You proposed to her...but you didn't bother to get her a ring?" he asked, sounding both disappointed and slightly angry. I tried not to chuckle, knowing that he was about to go into full on brother bear mode, but it was rather difficult when he was waving slices of bacon around in the air between us.

"Emmett, I didn't buy her a ring because I didn't have to. I already had one," I said, and he cut me off yet again.

"Bro...you better not tell me that you're planning on giving her a ring that you bought for some other chick. I swear to god if those are the next words out of your mouth your head's going right in that tray of eggs," he ground out, his jaw clenched tight.

"You can't seriously think that low of me, can you?" I asked and he quirked a brow at me, igniting my irritation fuse instantly.

"NO! I'm not planning on giving her a ring that I bought for some other chick! I've never bought a ring for any woman. I was intending to give her my mother's ring...that is unless brother bear has a fucking issue with that ring not being good enough for his baby girl," I retorted angrily. His face instantly smoothed out and took on an apologetic expression.

"Damn dude...she's really got you by the short n curlies," he said, grinning strangely.

"Okay...I can't deny that, but what makes you say that based on the conversation we're having?" I asked confusedly.

"Do you not remember what you've said in regards to that ring countless times over the years? You've always claimed that the only woman you would ever give that ring to would be your future daughter if you ever had one, because she would be the only woman who could ever deserve it," he said, still grinning while shaking his head.

"Yeah, well I was wrong. Bella deserves it and I'm going to give it to her, and she can choose whether or not to pass it down to one of our future children," I replied as he tilted his head to grin at me.

"You're damn right she deserves it. You're one lucky douche that she even finds one thing charming about you," he chuckled and I elbowed him as I laughed sardonically.

"So when are you going to pop the question?" I asked curiously.

"Not for a while. Don't look at me like that," he said as he pointed a fork at me.

"Why not though? She's perfect for you and you know it, and what about all that shit you talked about the day we left for the supply run?"

"Because neither of us are ready for that step yet, and what about what I said on the boat? You asked me if I thought it was insane how quickly everything was happening between all of us, and I told you I didn't care how about how quickly things were happening between Rose and I. You didn't ask me how I felt about marriage that day. Listen...I know Rosie's perfect for me. I'm well aware of that, but Edward...shit man, I've been burned..._badly_. It isn't because I don't love her or don't trust her, because god knows I do...more than anything, but I'm just not ready to take that plunge again. It scares the hell out of me," he admitted.

"But you want to marry her eventually right?" I asked as we slowly strolled our way back to the elevator.

"Of course I eventually want to marry her, and I know she eventually wants to marry me. We both know how each other feels about it, _why_ the other feels that way about it, and we both know exactly how we feel for each other. We have faith in us, in what we have. I'm not saying that neither of you do, that's not what I'm getting at, but we're not fretting over whether or not either of us is going to question what we have once we're not together on a daily basis for the remainder of the summer," he said, finishing his speech with a slight shrug as he popped a grape in his mouth.

"When the hell did we switch mentalities?" I chuckled. "I'm serious. You were always the 'Carpe Diem' guy...'Sieze the Day', that was your motto whereas I was the critical over thinker that would brood endlessly over everything. When the hell did that change?"

"Edward, you're comparing apples to fucking kiwi's right now. Our situations were and are completely different. You had a woman break your heart, and while I understand how that made you reluctant to date afterwards, that heartbreak was something that's a hell of a lot easier to overcome than what I went through, and still continue to go through. I'm not the same person I was years ago. I'm not the idiot that I was at eighteen who didn't think that real consequences existed for my thoughtless actions. I had my entire fucking world ripped apart by my ex-wife. Do you have any idea what it's like to raise a kid for three years thinking she's yours only to find out during the divorce proceedings that she's not? Mind you, finding that out _after_ you already agreed to settle for a certain amount, thinking that what you were handing over was going to be used to help raise _your_ child? You know how badly that screwed me up. I've spent the last five years feeling like I couldn't fucking breathe on a daily basis with the pain that I felt. It wasn't until the day that I met the three of them that I felt some form of relief, and each day gets just a little bit better, but I'm still far from being ready to get married again."

I felt horrible that he was still struggling so badly with his past emotionally even after five long years. I understood it though because there was no way that I would have gotten over it had it happened to me. It was possible that I would have _never _gotten over it at any point, and entirely possible that he wouldn't either. He hadn't been the same ever since the divorce, but he'd been steadily improving over the last two years, and over the past few weeks. Even before the girls had shown up, I had seen so much of his former self that it seemed that his days of darkness were being left behind, just as my days of loneliness and discontent with life had almost instantly after I'd met Bella. It was a stupid assumption to make, that meeting Rose had healed him the way meeting Bella had healed me, but it was one that I'd made nonetheless. There was nothing I could even say to alleviate any of the pain he'd been through or continued to go through. There was nothing I could offer in the form of advice either because I had no idea what it was really like to be in his position, so I nodded silently and allowed him to continue, figuring at the very least I could let him vent out all the things he'd been holding onto for so long.

"Yes, I'll admit that I'm probably a lot more reluctant to the idea than I should be considering how I feel for her, but I'm sure as shit not going to take a plunge I'm not ready for and have it drive a wedge between us. She deserves to have a whole man standing at the altar waiting for her to walk toward him, not a broken man who's still picking up the pieces of his shattered life. And furthermore, _she's_ not ready for marriage yet either. She's never been in a _real_ relationship before. The closest thing she's ever experienced to it was a chaste three month high school romance in her freshman year. She's never felt for someone the way she does for me before. It's all new to her. She isn't in any rush to be walking down the aisle either, and what kind of person would I be if I tried to push her towards that this quickly while knowing how she feels about it? What Rose and I have between us is special and we both acknowledge that it's going to take us time to get to where we eventually want to be, but we're in no hurry to get there. It'll happen when we're both sure that we're ready for it," he said, finishing just as we stepped off the elevator onto our floor.

"I see your point man, and I didn't mean to make it sound like you were making a mistake by not asking her or that I was questioning how you really felt about her. I know you love her, and I know she loves you too," I said sincerely as we stepped off the elevator.

"Damn, bro. I'm sorry...I didn't mean to go off on a tangent like that, especially not on the morning after your proposal," he said with a horrified look.

"Emmett...it's okay, really. You needed to get it off your chest. You've been holding that shit in for too long. I feel like an ass because there's nothing I can do to make it any better or easier for you, but you know I'll always lend an sympathetic ear if you need one," I replied with an apologetic expression.

"I know man, it's just...with everything you've been through in the past emotionally, between losing your parents and that relationship and always being unsure of where it was that you belonged in life...I didn't want to dump all that shit on you on top of it. Nothing has been easy for any of the three of us over the years, and between just the two of our past hardships alone, I think fate finally decided to step in and give us three sets of helping hands to guide us to the end of the darkened roads we've all been traveling on," he said with a thoughtful look.

"How the hell did Jasper's ass get off so easy? All he had was a psycho ex-girlfriend that stalked his ass religiously," I chuckled and he laughed.

"I have no idea. Man she was one crazy broad though wasn't she? What the hell was her name? Marcy, Mary...Maria! Damn that woman was nuts!" he guffawed. I laughed and shook my head, thinking about all the crazy things she had done before Jasper finally put his foot down and got a restraining order when he came home one day to find that she had broken in his house and was laying across his bed wearing nothing but one of his ties and a pair of high heeled shoes. Man...she really was nuts.

"Alright bro... I'm starving and Rose is probably awake by now. We'll meet you guys downstairs in a few hours. Go feed my little sister," he said with a big ol' shit eatin' grin. I laughed softly as I nodded and turned in the opposite direction.

"Oh hey!" he called out and I spun back around. "Sorry about last night. When we opened the door and saw that the lights were off we just thought you both had fallen asleep. We didn't mean to interrupt your victory dance," he chuckled as he waggled his eyebrows.

"It's okay...was a little embarrassing, but there wasn't much for her to see," I laughed.

"Dude...I'm not even gonna ask why you were both doin' the diddy with your robes on," he chuckled.

"Good cause I wouldn't answer anyway," I smirked and turned to keep walking toward our room, chuckling to myself as his laugh echoed down the hallway.

I slipped into the room silently and set the tray down on the little dinette table near the kitchenette. I figured Bella was still sleeping since the room was silent, the only sounds to be heard were the waves crashing on the shore floating through the open balcony doors. I walked through the room, heading toward the bed and stripping down to just my boxers as I went, leaving a trail of clothing behind me. My breath hitched in my throat as my heart lurched and began its unsteady rhythmic pattern once again as I spotted her in the bed, still sleeping and in nearly the same position she had been in when I'd stepped out earlier. I climbed into the bed slowly, trying not to wake her with my movements and kissed my way up her arm and across her upper back as she started to stretch and hum.

"Mmm...morning," she sighed. I smiled against her skin and placed a final kiss right between her shoulder blades before laying down next to her, smiling as I brushed her hair away from her face.

"Morning beautiful. Did you sleep well?" I asked as she puckered her lips and tilted her head up for a kiss. I pulled back after kissing her lips softly and twined our fingers together as she nodded and smiled.

"Where did you go earlier? I woke up for a minute and you weren't in the bed," she said sleepily as she tried to fight off a yawn, her words slurring slightly as she lost the battle.

"Aw I'm sorry you woke without me. I went to get us some breakfast," I replied as she snuggled closer to me. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly to me as I sighed happily and nuzzled my face into the crook of her neck. I could have stayed in that position with her forever and never tired of it. Between her delicate softness, slightly floral fragrance, and her gentle caresses on my skin, I was in pure heaven. Unfortunately, our little slice of paradise was brought to a sudden halt by a rather obnoxious growl coming from the stomach of the angel in my arms.

"Is there a beast in there trying to claw its way out or something?" I chuckled as she laughed and buried her face into my chest, the heat of her blushing cheeks blazing against my skin.

"Watch it bub. Keep making fun of me and I'll unleash it on you," she warned playfully as she pushed herself away from me and slid from the bed...gloriously naked. As embarrassing as this is, as I'm a grown man and should have at least _some _level of control, I actually whimpered and pouted when she slid her arms through her robe and tied the front closed before walking back over to me.

"You know...you could have forgone the robe completely," I said, still pouting as I pulled her down on top of me.

"If I did that we'd never eat breakfast and I highly doubt we'd ever be able to remove ourselves from this room and join the others for some sightseeing," she replied with a sultry voice and a soft smile as her fingers traced invisible patterns on my chest.

"I'm fairly certain that _I _could live with that, but since you've never seen them before I'll behave myself...for now," I responded with a mischievous grin. She chuckled and pecked my lips before sliding off of me and disappearing into the bathroom.

I quickly hopped out of bed and reheated the plate of food and cups of coffee before bringing the tray back to the bed. She climbed back into bed with me a few minutes later, kissed me tenderly on the lips and sighed softly in content before pulling away. We ate slowly in comfortable silence, sharing the same plate of food and bowl of fruit, and listening to the waves pounding against the shore. Once we'd had our fill, I tossed the tray onto the nightstand and pulled her down to lay with me. My eyes closed as I concentrated on the erratic thudding of my heart and slid my hand across her shoulder and down her neck, coming to a stop just inside the front of her robe on her chest.

"What are you doing?" she whispered as I smiled softly.

"Feeling your heartbeat," I replied as I opened my eyes to look at her and grinned wider as I felt her heart skip a beat and take off in a rapid flurry of beats before settling into a patterned rhythm again, just as mine did.

"Why?" she asked, quirking a brow at me and looking at me as though I'd lost my last marble. I chuckled and took her hand to place it over my heart.

"Pay attention to both of our heartbeats," I told her, still smiling like an ass as her brow furrowed at me.

"Just do it," I chuckled. She rolled her eyes at me and closed her eyes.

"They're beating...I don't get it," she huffed and then opened her eyes and gasped as our eyes locked, chocolate brown and green, causing both of our heartbeats to skip and then take off in a sprint.

"I thought only mine did that," she said as a smile crept across her lips. I smiled and shook my head at her.

"The erratic pattern is almost the same except yours is a bit faster than mine, and when they slow they beat in opposition as if they're answering each other beat for beat," I said as the beats slowed to their natural rhythm and I withdrew my hand from her chest and twined our fingers together.

"You know, my mother had this theory about soul mates when I was a kid. She said that every heart ever created has a partner somewhere out there, and when they connect they serenade each other or something to that effect. My aunt can probably retell the theory better than I can since I was only thirteen when she'd told it to me," I said as she scooted closer to me and tangled our legs together.

"Your family has a very strange obsession with all things fate related, you do realize this don't you?" she chuckled. I laughed softly and nodded as I kissed her nose, chin, and then her lips.

"Yes, I 'm well aware of it. Emmett was talking about fate just this morning, and Kate and Marcus never shut up about it. Growing up around all of the fate and destiny talk kind of ingrains it into you," I chuckled.

"Do you believe in it? In fate and destiny?" she asked curiously. I pursed my lips and thought about it for a few moments before responding.

"Yes and no," I answered and chuckled softly as she made a face at me that clearly said "explain".

"I believe in it to an extent now, whereas before I didn't believe in it at all, because of how unlikely it was that the three of you would arrive just a few days after the three of us came back together on the island, and also how unlikely it would have been that any of you would have come here at all if Rose and Alice hadn't been on a rescue Bella mission of sorts. I had actually been in Chicago for a while prior to your arrival, and I had debated staying up there for the rest of the summer but ended up coming back when Jasper called and said that Emmett was on his way down. It was highly possible that I wouldn't have been here at all during the time that you were here," I said, my voice fading to just above a whisper as I lightly ran the back of my fingers across her cheek, and realized how close I had come to possibly never meeting her at all. She smiled sadly, no doubt in understanding how that one decision might have drastically changed the course of everything else that had happened since I'd returned to the island.

"So I guess, in a way, I believe that fate led us all up to the meeting point, but I don't believe that fate or destiny rules everything that happens in life like some of my family members do. I can't bring myself to believe that fate or destiny would be as harsh and unkind as it would seem to be in some people's lives. I think the most I can believe is that it leads you to a certain point and then free will takes over and it becomes either your choice which direction you head in, or someone else's choice that alters your intended course," I explained, unsure if I'd made any sense at all as I tried to relay all my thoughts on the subject.

"What were you doing in Chicago?" she asked. I looked down at our linked hands and rubbed the top of her hand with my thumb.

"Visiting my parents. They passed a week before my fourteenth birthday, and I've gone up there just about every year on the day of their passing. Esme usually goes with me, sometimes Carlisle too, but this year I went alone. There was just something about it being the date where I had spent exactly the same amount of years without them as I had with them that made it harder for me deal with and I didn't want anyone else around me for it," I replied, avoiding her gaze until I heard a soft sniffle and my eyes shot up to hers just in time to see her swipe away at the tear that had fallen with her free hand.

"Sorry," she spluttered as she slapped a hand down over her face and fought off a sob.

"Baby don't cry. Please love, there's no reason for you to be so upset over it," I said frantically as I unlaced our fingers and pulled her to me. A few tears leaked past her hand, but she managed to calm herself after a few deep breaths.

"I'm sorry, I know you told me before that they passed, but it just hit me that you were in the car an I could have lost you in the same accident," she whispered as she swiped at a few more fallen tears.

"How did you know it was a car accident and that I was in the car?" I asked, already having a good idea who the culprit was that had informed her of it.

"Jasper...he said it was a miracle that you survived at all," she replied as her chin quivered. I ground my teeth together, seriously contemplating stalking down to his room just to smack him right upside the head for his inability to keep his damn mouth shut. She didn't need to know about that, and she sure as hell didn't need to know how close to death I had truly come. _Stupid prick_.

"I'm sorry he said that to you, he really shouldn't have. I'm fine though love, so there's no reason for you to get so worked up over it. I made it through it and I barely even have a single mark left from it. I'm sure he made it out to be more than what it was," I said, trying to calm her.

"How bad was it really?" she asked and I sighed as I looked down at her.

"Bella...you really don't need to hear this part of my life. It's in the past and should stay there," I said but she shook her head at me.

"Please? I want to know. I don't want there to be any secrets between us," she pleaded with a heart wrenching expression and I caved nearly instantly. I wouldn't want her to keep anything from me either so I couldn't very well justify keeping one to myself. Well that and I couldn't deny her a damn thing even if I'd wanted to.

"It was pretty bad. Just moments before the collision I had taken off my seatbelt because I wanted to remove the tuxedo jacket that I had been roasting in all night during the recital. I don't remember much of anything after the horrendous sound of it, and I only know what I was told had happened to me after I woke up by my uncle," I said hesitantly, nervous over how she'd take my next words. She smiled sadly at me, encouraging me to continue. I took a deep breath and braced myself for the onslaught of emotions that hearing what had happened that night would bring forth in her.

"My parents died on impact when the car slammed into us practically head on. Had I not removed my seatbelt, I probably wouldn't have gotten hurt as badly, but because I wasn't restrained, I was tossed around the car when it flipped and rolled down the street..." I paused as her breath hitched and eyed her warily, wondering if I could have possibly worded it in a more gentle manner. She shook her head and waved a hand at me dismissing the conflict I was sure was evident in my eyes in telling her everything that happened and whispered a quick "It's okay...continue." I nodded and twined our fingers together, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as I closed my eyes to recount the injuries I had sustained in the collision.

"I broke my right arm, left ankle, three spots in my right leg, numerous ribs, and cracked my skull which led to a contusion and brain swelling which was the worst of my injuries along with the blood accumulation in my lungs from my broken ribs tearing through my chest wall," I rambled off quickly, every single one of my muscles tensing as she gripped my hand with such force that it was nearly becoming numb. My eyes shot open and my free hand flew to her face to wipe away at the tears that had trailed down her beautiful face.

"Baby, this is why I didn't want you to hear about this. It's too hard on you," I told her in a strained voice.

I hadn't wanted her to know all the details of that night. I hadn't wanted her to know anything more than the fact that my parents had passed away when I was a young boy. With that being the true tragedy of my youth, what did it really matter how they passed or whether or not I had been in the vehicle when it happened? I had made it out alive, and survived against all the odds. Anything aside from that failed to have any type of importance after over a decade.

"Edward, I'm okay. It's just a few tears. Your past is part of you and I want to know all of it. All of you," she replied as she placed her free hand over my own upon her cheek. I sighed and nodded after gazing into her eyes for a series of silent moments, looking for some sign that I shouldn't listen and that I should stop, but found none.

"When I finally woke up almost two weeks later, I had tubes coming out of both sides of my chest, a cast on both my left leg and right arm, and a brace that ran the length of my right leg. Carlisle eventually told me that it had been touch and go for the first few days with the amount of swelling in my brain and they worried that either I wouldn't wake up at all or I wouldn't function properly if I did even after they'd performed surgery to reduce the pressure up there," I said as I tapped my temple.

I had highly expected her to be borderline inconsolable after hearing the true extent of how badly I had been hurt, but as usual, I found myself completely incapable of predicting anything about her. She was tearing yes, but she wasn't inconsolable or even hysterical by any means. They were slow tears, and she only had a slight frown as she brought her palm to my cheek. I kissed it and then covered it with my own hand as I gazed into her eyes.

She bit her lip as more tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over, but her gaze was unwavering and filled with complete love and gratitude...not a trace of that haunted appearance to be found within them that I had seen time and again in the eyes of my family members. That was the true reason I had never wanted her to know about that night. I never wanted to see that haunting emptiness within her eyes that thinking about losing a loved one in such a horrific manner inevitably causes. Either she was somehow masking it from me completely, or she was emotionally stronger than I, or anyone else for that matter, had ever given her credit for.

"I was in the hospital for a little over a month, and Esme stayed with me practically twenty four seven. Emmett and Carlisle came to visit daily while I was in the ICU, but I only remember about two days of being in there after I woke up. After that they moved me to a private room at Carlisle's request, and Esme did everything in her power to make me as comfortable as possible by bringing numerous belongings from my bedroom to the hospital," I said as I smiled faintly in recollection of all she'd done during those endless days. Bella smiled softly and wiped away at her tears, and leaned forward to press a kiss against my forehead.

"She made my bed with my own baseball themed sheets and blankets, brought me pillows from my home, game systems and a VCR that she had Emmett hook up after she nearly ripped her hair out trying to figure out all the cords," I chuckled, remembering how worked up she had gotten over the tangled mess. It had been the only thing capable at that time of making me laugh, if only for the briefest of moments.

"I spent the remaining weeks in the hospital undergoing numerous neurological tests and vigorous physical therapy during the day, and spent my nights playing video games, board games, or watching movies with Emmett and Esme, and occasionally Carlisle too when he wasn't tending to all the legal and financial matters pertaining to me. When I was finally released, Carlisle left the decision up to me on whether we all stayed in Chicago or I went back with them to their home in California. Not wanting to uproot both his family and career, I paid a visit to my parents and left with them a few weeks later," I said, finishing my basic version of that time in my life, and looked up to see her brow furrowed at me, a look of pure confusion etched within her features.

"Why wasn't your right leg in a cast too?" she asked, completely taking me off guard by her focus on that one fact over everything else I'd told her. I laughed lightly and shook my head at the absurdity that being the question she would have above anything else she could have asked in that moment.

"It didn't have a cast because they had to fix that leg with metal rods to stabilize the fractures," I chuckled and a thoughtful expression crossed her face. I wasn't even going to hazard a guess at what would come out of her mouth next.

"So you have like a bionic leg?" she laughed. I snorted and shook my head at her.

"No," I chuckled. "It's not bionic, there's no wires or electronics running the damn thing. It just has two metal rods and some screws to hold them in place. I have a metal plate in my head too from when they relieved the pressure in my head," I laughed and took her hand to run it over the spot where I knew the plate was. She scrunched her face up slightly and I chuckled as I pulled her hand away and kissed her fingers.

"I can't believe I never felt that before. Doesn't all that metal set off the metal detectors in airports and stuff?" she asked. I laughed softly as I shook my head.

"No, the metals are alloys and it's not likely that I'll set off a metal detector, but I do have a medical certificate that I travel with just in case it happens. Most airport metal detectors are set at a sensitivity setting of five which I've never had an issue passing through, but some are set higher and it's a possibility that I'll activate it. It's only happened once when I flew to New York a few years ago," I replied, fighting off the chuckles that rose within me while remembering that experience.

"Did they make you strip down to your knickers?" she giggled.

"No! I had the medical certificate, but they did pat me down thoroughly just to be sure," I choked out through my laughter.

"How do you not have scars from all of that?" she asked suddenly with an awed expression. "I have more scars than I care to count and the worst injuries I've ever had are a few broken bones and concussions caused by dust particles!"

"I have scars, they just faded over time," I said as I raised my arm and pointed to one of them on the side of my chest. She leaned over and kissed the mark softly.

"I have one on this side too," I chuckled as I rolled over. She laughed softly and kissed that one as well.

"While you're at it, there's one that goes through my eyebrow," I said as I pointed it out, grinning like an ass as she leaned forward to press her lips against it.

"Any others?" she chuckled. I laughed as I nodded and sat up, pointing to the faint line on my knee, as well as the seven small marks from where they had drilled the screws through to hold the rods in place. She kissed each one of those tenderly, working her way down from my thigh all the way to my ankle.

"Did I get em all?" she smirked and I shook my head.

"Nope you missed one," I said as she crawled back up to me and eyed where I was tapping my bottom lip. As soon as her lips touched mine I grabbed a hold of her head and deepened the kiss as I flipped her on her back and rolled on top of her, causing her to squeal and laugh.

"I don't remember you saying anything about your lip being among the parts of you that were injured," she chuckled when I pulled away.

"That's because it's a scar from Emmett busting my lip open in fourth grade summer camp because I wouldn't give him half of my Twinkie," I laughed and she snorted as she rolled her eyes and swatted me playfully. "You did still miss one though."

"Turn your head and duck down," she said with a warm smile. I complied and she ran her fingers over the slight bump at the top of my head and pressed her lips to it softly.

"Mmm...all better," I grinned, earning a chuckle from her before her smile faded as she caressed my face gently.

"I'm sorry you lost your parents, but I'm thankful you pulled through it. I don't think I would have ever known what it was like to be truly happy in life if you hadn't," she said, her tone holding nothing but sincerity.

"For once I'm grateful that I did too," I whispered against her lips before capturing them in a searing kiss. Her mouth parted almost instantly and I tilted my head to the side as our tongues met, stroking and swirling around each other. A low groan erupted from my throat when her legs wrapped around my waist and the heat of her arousal radiated against my groin. Unable to exert any degree of self control whatsoever, my hand automatically went to the tie of her robe and quickly pulled it loose and pushed the terrycloth fabric to the sides.

"You've _got_ to be fucking kidding me," I growled as my phone started ringing from its spot on the nightstand beside the bed.

"Ignore it," she panted, pulling my face back down to hers as her heels started pushing my boxers down. I chuckled into our kiss as I reached down to assist her in her efforts. Apparently I wasn't the only one with a lack of self control. The ringing stopped, only to start right back up again just as Bella's phone started to go off along with it. I pulled back and groaned as I rolled off to the side to grab my phone.

"What?" I answered, severely disgruntled at their perfect timing. I'd swear they had some kind of radar that would sound alarms whenever we were naked, providing them with perfect cock blocking opportunities.

"Everyone's up and ready to go. We'll meet you guys downstairs in ten minutes," Emmett said and I had to fight off a groan as Bella came up behind me and started kissing and nipping her way from my shoulder up my neck.

"We're not ready...we'll be down at noon," I said quickly as my eyes rolled back when she sucked the lobe of my ear into her warm wet mouth.

"Noon?! Come on Edward, what the hell are we supposed to do until then?" he bellowed.

"I don't care. It's only ten am, Em. Go to the pool for a bit or something. We'll be down at noon," I replied huskily as I tilted my head to the side to provide her better access and ran my hand up her thigh and squeezed her hip.

"What the hell are you two doing that you need two hours to get your asses downstairs?" he asked sounding frustrated. I smirked and tilted my head back to wink at Bella quickly.

"Defiling robes...goodbye Emmett," I laughed and snapped my phone shut before dropping it on the floor and knocking her back down onto the mattress as she laughed and I settled myself between her thighs.

"Two hours to defile a robe huh?" she giggled. I nodded and hummed to her as I trailed wet kisses up her chest and neck.

"I had to factor in a spare ten minutes to shower and dress," I chuckled and then nipped at her ear.

"Better make that five," she gasped as I ground myself against her slick heat and she writhed beneath me. I pinched and rolled her nub between my fingers and smirked as she arched off the bed toward me, moaning loudly.

"Is that a challenge love?" I asked as I thrust into her heat and felt her instantly clamp down and spasm around me as she cried out.

"That's one," I said with a cocky smirk as her eyes shot open and focused on me. I pulled back and slowly pushed into her again.

"Oh God...Jesus..._Ungh...Fuck_."

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**AN: What?! Where'd the rest of the lemon go?! Ohhh....Edward you dirty dog you! Cutting out the rest of that lemon that way, leaving us with a spluttering Bella and cock blocking the readers! For shame! ::giggle:: Don't kill me people! Much love to you all! ~Jersey~**

**P.S.- Do you believe in Fate? Answer in a review! I'd love to know! OH! And TOF was nominated for Best All Human on the Razzle Dazzle Awards. Voting starts June 30th! Don't forget to vote for your favorite stories at www(dot)razzledazzleawards(dot)webs(dot)com !**


	20. Jardim Botanico & Homicidal Fruit

**AN: Happy Friday lovies! Okay so RL has decided to start kicking some major ass recently...mostly mine lol. The next month may be sparse with updates, which I'm incredibly sorry for, but I have things going on that need to be dealt with and tended to at the moment, not the least of which is finding a new place to live and moving. All I ask is that you all bear with me over the next however many weeks and remember that even if I don't get a chance to post a chapter in some given week, I am not by any means abandoning the story. Onto a better note....TOF was nominated for Best All Human over at the Razzle Dazzle awards. Sadly we didn't make the cut for the Bellie's, but it's all good. Just knowing that some of you nominated me there as well is freaking awesome and I thank you sincerely. Voting is now currently full swing at the Razzle Dazzle Awards, so head on over to www(dot)razzledazzleawards(dot)webs(dot)com and vote for your favorite stories! **

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Disclaimer: I don't own this shizz...SM owns it all.

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Jardim Botanico and Homicidal Fruit

BPOV

"Love…what are you _doing_?" Edward asked as we stood in front of the elevator waiting, rather impatiently I might add, for the stupid thing to finally rise to our floor. I shifted my footing once more and grimaced slightly, trying to alleviate the soreness between my thighs, and tugging at the hem of my shorts.

"Gah! I can't take it anymore! Fuck Edward! What the hell did you do to my cookie?!" I wailed, giving a forceful tug to the hem of my shorts so the damn fabric would quit rubbing against the apex between my thighs.

"What? What cookie?" he asked, smirking like the evil shit he is. He knew damn well what I was talking about.

"My fucking crotch Edward! _Jesus_, it's still quivering and I'm walking like I've been riding a damn elephant! Forget the horse!" I cried out, seriously mentally calculating my chances of being able to freaking _waddle_ back to the room and hide for the rest of the day without him being able to catch me before I locked him out. I nearly groaned as I realized, with extreme certainty, that my chances were virtually nil.

_Damn smug sex god of a boyf…fiance! God I need to get used to saying that word out loud…hell I need to get used to saying it mentally! Shit I'm sore... Where the hell did he get the idea I was challenging him from? I meant five minutes for a shower…not a goal to meet for an orgasm marathon! _

"Bella, Bella, Bella," he sighed, shaking his head slightly before shooting me that damn _smirk_ again. I glared at him as I held the hem of my shorts down so they wouldn't ride back up again. "It's your own fault love. You shouldn't be so damn sexy when you cum. Maybe then I would have stopped at just five."

"How in the hell are you not sore after all _that_?" I grumbled, waddling forward onto the elevator that _finally_ arrived on our floor. I tried my best to stand there without fidgeting, or grimacing, or goddamn _quivering_…but it was absolutely useless. I had no control over any of it.

"Oh I'm sore alright…sore in all the right places," he chuckled as he pressed the button for the lobby floor. I whimpered as I shifted my footing, wishing someone had packed a skirt for me instead of just a few pairs of shorts. Hell I would have even taken a beach wrap over the pair of denim short shorts that I was currently wearing. Anything that would have taken that damn friction off of my most private of areas that had been pounded into a pulp.

"Are you really hurting that bad baby?" he asked, dropping the smugness and amusement from his expression completely as he wrapped his arms around me. "We don't have to go if you don't want to. I can take you tomorrow."

"It's fine, Edward. It's just uncomfortable with the friction from the shorts. Every time they touch me I start freaking quivering again, and my hips and thighs are practically blazing with how sore they are," I replied, whining slightly as I fidgeted in his arms. I couldn't freaking tell if I was helping the situation or making it even freaking worse.

_Maybe if I just stand completely still…_

"I'm sorry…I should have thought about you needing to walk around for the rest of the day," he said with a slight cringe.

"Don't you _dare_ ever apologize to me for fucking me senseless…just next time, for the love of god make sure we don't have anywhere to go for a few hours…or days," I said, starting out sternly but ending my statement grinning like a damned fool.

_God how is he so damn perfect? Everything he does is perfect… Look at those beautiful seas of emerald green. I could get lost in those eyes…holy hell I'm gonna rip these damn shorts off within the next ten goddamn seconds if they don't quit touching me!_

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay? We'll be doing a lot of walking," he said, the backs of his fingers tracing the apple of my cheek.

_Gah! Those fingers! Oh freaking great…let's just add moisture to the quivering and soreness why don't we! _

"I'll be fine…I think I just need to walk it off," I replied, praying to god that I was right. If not…well my day was going to suck, let's leave it at that.

"If you want to leave at any point just let me know and we'll come back and I'll run you a hot bath to relax in," he said and I leaned up to kiss him chastely as the elevator doors opened into the lobby. "Whatever we don't get to today we can do tomorrow before we head back to the island."

I smirked up at him as he grimaced slightly after taking a few steps forward and gave a discreet tug to the front of his shorts, well at least he thought he was being discreet…I totally caught it though.

"Nice tug there porn star," I chuckled, "I should take lessons in discretion from you." He pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at me as he fought off a cheesy grin.

"At least I'm not _waddling_ love," he chuckled back and I glared up at him.

"You may not be _waddling_ dearest fiance of mine, but you are gimping," I said with an evil smirk. "Did I manage to knock one of your _screws _loose? Perhaps dislodge a _rod_?"

"You're evil…pure evil. Look what you've done now," he pouted as he grabbed a hold of my hand and pressed it against his groin. I laughed loudly and quickly withdrew my hand as we continued hobbling through the lobby.

"Hey! No more touchy touchy! Every robe within a ten mile radius of the two of you has taken off running terrified for their lives!" Emmett bellowed, his booming voice echoing loudly off the walls and causing quite a number of people to spin around and stare at him…and then subsequently at us.

"They should be…that last one almost didn't make it," Edward teased quietly as he winked down at me. I snickered quietly to myself and elbowed him lightly in the side, trying my best to ignore both the questioning gazes in our direction, as well as my issues south of the border.

"Hey, Emmett…where's everyone else?" I asked, smiling brightly at him. He grinned right back at me and leaned down to kiss my cheek. I looked at him questioningly but he just winked and shook his head with a slight chuckle.

"They're off perusing one of the shops. They got tired of waiting for the terrycloth terrorists," he laughed. Edward rolled his eyes and sighed, muttering something along the lines of "so it starts" as I blushed and placed a hand over my mouth to hide my snickering.

"I'm gonna go find them so we can get going," I said, leaning up to kiss Edward's jaw before walking away.

"Baby girl? You okay? You're walkin' kinda funny," Emmett said, worry lacing his tone as I got about all of ten steps away. I held my hand up in the air, waving it off and chuckling, "I'm fine Emmett…just fine."

"Damn bro…what the hell did you do to her?" I heard him ask just as I turned the corner. I grinned like a goon and bit my lip as I started peeking into the windows of the shops, looking for the rest of our party. I may have been uncomfortable at the moment, but that didn't make what he'd done to my body any less spectacular. Unfortunately, I gave a forceful tug to the hem of my shorts just as the rest of our group emerged from a store and I received three very odd looks in my direction.

"What? My shorts were riding up and it was uncomfortable," I grumbled. Rose quirked a brow at me as Jasper chuckled and wrapped an arm around Alice who was just shaking her head at me as I straightened up and walked toward them.

"Easy on the Suzie Q pickin' in public girlie," Rose chuckled. I laughed sardonically at her and grimaced slightly, biting back a groan as a sharp pain shot through my hip.

_Jesus I need to start stretching more…I feel like a ninety year old hag just getting out of bed in the morning! Stupid sore Jell-O legs…_

"You okay Bells?" Alice asked worriedly. I hid my "just fucked senseless" grin and nodded to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine…I think I just pulled a muscle," I told her, trying to keep a straight face.

"How'd you do that?" she asked with a quirked brow.

"Slipped in the shower," I muttered quickly as we made our way back up to Edward and Emmett. I wasn't about to tell her what had _really _happened in the shower…or in the bed…or on the couch…again.

"You need to be more careful Bella," she sighed, "Those granite floors get slippery when they're wet, and even worse when there's soap on the floor too."

"Alice, the only thing dear Bella here slipped on in the shower was Edward's _love muscle_," Rose laughed.

"Rose!" I chastised as I smacked her arm. She laughed even harder as Alice giggled away and Jasper just shook his head.

"I'm just going to pretend I'm not hearing any of this," Jasper chuckled, moving to the farthest side of our four person convoy.

"What? It's no secret that the two of you go at it like a pair of damn bunnies hopped up on aphrodisiacs!" she blared, causing people's heads to spin in our direction. I blushed furiously and glared at her.

"Can we _please_ refrain from talking about my sex life? Yes, we're all aware that the resident _prude_ has turned into the resident _nympho_, but for shit's sake can we possibly _not_ talk about it?" I grumbled.

"Resident prudes…plural," Jasper said, barely whispering his final word after my eyes shot to him.

"Bells…it's nothing to be ashamed of. You two have a healthy and active sex life. So what? There's nothing wrong with that," Alice said, breaking out the most comforting and assuring tone she kept in her vocal arsenal.

"I'm not _ashamed_ Alice. Far from it. I just happen to think that what we do behind closed doors is private and I don't see why it's so _amusing_ to some people," I said as I shot a look to Rose, "to make it known to the _entire free world _that I have sex."

"So it's true…you're walking funny cause you got the shizz nailed out of you," Rosalie guffawed.

"Ugh…you suck," I grumbled and quickened my waddle as Edward held his arms open for me.

"You getting the third degree too?" he whispered in my ear. I sighed and nodded slightly as I tilted my head to the side and brushed my lips lightly against his. I smiled at him as I pulled away and twined our fingers together, grinning like a goon when he brought our hands up to his lips and kissed my left ring finger while whispering "soon".

"Hobbles and Wobbles! Let's go! Our chariot awaits!" Emmett bellowed. We simultaneously rolled our eyes and chuckled as we started making our way in their direction with them all laughing and watching our awkward movements.

"It's gonna be a _long_ day love," Edward sniggered as he wrapped an arm around the top of my shoulders and drew me into his side. I wrapped my arm around his waist and fought the urge to tug at my stupid shorts yet again.

We finally made it out of the front doors and climbed into a metallic gray Hummer that I was informed belonged to Carlisle. It made me begin to wonder exactly how many damn vehicles their family owned. Forgoing sitting in the middle seats, Edward and I slid ourselves into the back bench seat while Alice and Jasper took the two bucket seats in the middle, and Rosalie and Emmett climbed into the very front.

"When do you want to tell them?" Edward whispered in my ear as Emmett pulled away from the hotel. "Emmett already knows love."

"What? When did you tell him?" I asked quietly, pulling my head back to look at him. I had to admit I was just the teensiest bit disappointed that I hadn't been present for his reaction. Edward grimaced slightly, looking at me with sorrowful eyes.

"I'm sorry honey…I couldn't hide the goofy grin this morning when I ran into him at the elevator, and he knew something was up so I told him," he admitted, caressing my cheek tenderly. "He promised not to say anything to the others though."

I nodded, thinking through how would be the best way to break the news to the rest of them when a mischievous grin crossed my face and I locked eyes with Edward. "What do you say we have a bit of fun with them today?"

"I like how you think…Plus, it'll be great payback for all the wayward comments they're bound to keep making today," he chuckled quietly.

"What are you two whispering about back there?" Emmett bellowed from the front, grinning cheekily in the rearview mirror, causing three heads to turn in our direction.

"Nothing…nothing at all," I chuckled, smiling innocently…too innocently and they _knew _it. Both Alice and Rosalie quirked their brows at us as Jasper's furrowed in our direction. I looked up at Edward and giggled as he grinned at me and kissed the tip of my nose.

"I call _total_ bullshit!" Rose exclaimed from the front seat. "It's written all over your goddamn faces! What are you two up to?"

"Nothing! Good Lord you're paranoid! Can't we just be having a quiet conversation about nothing of importance?" I retorted, purposely failing miserably at keeping a straight face. Edward ducked his head into the crook of my neck and laughed, the bursts of his breath fanning across my skin causing me to break out in goose flesh.

"I think they just know something the _rest_ _of us _don't," Emmett cut in again, staring dead at me in the rearview mirror. I narrowed my eyes at him minimally as I twisted my lips to the side.

"Maybe…maybe not," I said with a shrug, causing Edward to snort into my shoulder.

"Isabella Swan you better _spill_," Alice demanded, pointing a finger at me.

"Alice Brandon, Edward and I were talking about getting…" I paused, taking in their all too attentive gazes and grinned evilly, "a _dog_," I finished, laughing hysterically at their confused faces…minus Emmett who just smirked and shook his head.

"A dog? _Really_? This coming from the person that couldn't keep a _goldfish_ alive for more than three days," Rosalie said incredulously. "I have no idea what's gotten into you today, but I know you sure as shit weren't talking about getting a _dog_."

"Sure we were," I smirked, my eyes sparkling with mirth, "two of them to be precise."

"And pray tell, just what kinds of _dogs _were you talking about getting?" Rosalie smirked back. I looked to Edward quickly and winked, causing him to laugh and cover his face as he turned his head to look out the window.

"A Doberman Pinscher and a Chihuahua," I replied, snickering quietly afterward and biting my lip.

"And what are you going to name them?" she asked, her eyes alight with amusement as her brow quirked at me.

"Rosalie and Alice," I chuckled.

"You're such a bitch," Rose tittered as Emmett, Jasper and Edward boomed with laughter.

"I am NOT a fucking Chihuahua!" Alice huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. I would have felt bad, but the fact that she was mashing her lips together and her cheeks were trembling, giving away her effort to keep from laughing, kind of took away my ability to feel sorry for my words. It didn't, however, stop me from wanting to cringe when she turned toward me with a sadistic grin.

"I'd rather be a damn Chihuahua than a freaking lazy ass Pekingese with a bad attitude and unmanageable hair," she said, her voice eerily calm as she quirked a brow at me. Boisterous laughter filled the air in the truck, a horrendous, ear assaulting mixture of Emmett's gut busting booms, Rosalie's manly guffaws, Alice's tinkling giggles, Jasper's keening wheezes, Edward's chortles, and my god awful hyena cackles. I truly felt sorry for any vehicle traveling in our vicinity as well as any people we may have been passing by.

"So are you gonna tell us what it is you two are being so secretive about?" Alice chuckled as we all started to calm our laughter.

"Ummm…lemme think," I said as I tapped my chin thoughtfully. "Nah…it's more fun this way," I laughed.

"Bella!" Alice and Rose whined simultaneously. I laughed and collapsed against Edward's side as they broke out their most powerful pouts, quivering bottom lips and all. Unfortunately for them, my amusement at the situation was acting as a temporary shield against the power of the pout.

"Ali…the pouts aren't working. Whatever she has to say is big…I mean like _HUGE_. The last time she was immune to the quivering lip was when she first found out that her book was going to be published," Rose said as she narrowed her eyes at me. I stuck my tongue out at her and chuckled as Edward wrapped an arm around my shoulders and slid his left hand under mine on his leg. I hadn't even noticed what he was doing as his head rested back against the headrest and his eyes closed, but both Rosalie and Alice zeroed in on the minimal movement like hawks on their prey. In one single solitary moment, Edward's mindless action of caressing my ring finger with his thumb gave us away instantly.

"YOU'RE GETTING ENGAGED!" they both squealed at the same exact time. I bit my lip, trying to fight off the grin and keep a straight face so I could try and deny it, but Edward's head shot up with startled eyes darting between the three of us, Jasper spun in his seat with a shocked look at us, and Emmett started cracking up and smacking the steering wheel. Emmett laughed. I was a goner and I knew it so I laughed and nodded.

"Yes, we're engaged. He asked last night and I said yes," I chuckled, smiling brightly up at him as he grinned crookedly and squeezed my hand.

"Thank God!" Emmett laughed as he looked up in the rearview mirror. "I didn't think I'd be able to keep my mouth shut all day if you two were gonna keep that secretive shit up. Welcome to the family baby girl!"

"You _knew_ and you didn't tell me?!" Rosalie screeched as she pummeled his arm, drowning out my blushing thanks in his direction.

"Ow, OW! Babe stop, I'm driving!" Em wailed as he shrunk away from her, still laughing.

"When the hell did _you _find out? And why the hell didn't you _tell_ me?" she ground out as she pointed at him.

"This morning, and I couldn't tell you because they wanted to tell all of you together. I'm sorry, I wanted to but I promised I wouldn't," he rambled quickly, fighting off his amusement and glancing at her a few times apologetically. You could see how hard he was warring with himself over looking her dead in the eye while he apologized and keeping his eyes on the road in front of him.

"Wait…wait…if he asked last night…where's your ring? Edward, where the hell is her ring?" Alice demanded to know as she pointed at our hands, taking my attention away from the two of them. Edward cringed slightly as he looked over at her.

"It's back on the island. I hadn't planned on asking when I did…it was uhh…kind of spontaneous," he mumbled, his neck and ears tinting pink slightly. I squeezed his hand back to let him know it was okay with me, it was more than okay with me actually. His proposal may have been sudden and unorthodox, but I couldn't imagine it having been any more romantic with everything he had said.

"I wanna know how he did it! We all know Edward's a hopeless romantic at heart. Did you pull out the whole bouquet of flowers, romantic music, candle lit dinner for two card bro?" Emmett boomed from the front seat as he pulled into a parking spot at our first destination for the day.

"No…I didn't, but I fully intend to rectify that when I give her the ring," he mumbled.

"I don't want all of that. Just hand it over so I can bitch slap Jess with it on," I chuckled and they all laughed.

"So when are you planning on getting married? Can I plan the wedding? Please, please, please?" Alice asked excitedly, bouncing in her seat and clapping her hands.

"Yeah really Bells…you need to let us put that thing together for you so we don't end up in muu muus and hair curlers," Rose laughed.

"I was only joking about that," I grumbled as I rolled my eyes. "We haven't talked about when yet either so calm your horses."

"Have you at least talked about where? Come on, you had to have talked about _something_ afterwards," Alice pressed as we climbed out of the truck.

I groaned as I slid from my seat, partly from the soreness that was making itself known again with the movement, but mostly in response to her eagerness to start planning some elaborate wedding that I truly didn't want. If I left the whole thing up to her, we'd end up having a wedding with somewhere around five hundred guests with me knowing all of probably one percent of them, a cake as big as the damn Eiffel Tower that would probably fall on top of me and crush me to death, and who knows…maybe even the release of a thousand doves that would shit all over us.

_Oh god…this is going to be a train wreck. I have to derail her before she even gets started…_

"Ali we haven't really talked about anything since he asked," I said but Rose cut in.

"That's because you two were too busy pulling groin muscles while celebrating," she guffawed.

"Like you and Emmett wouldn't celebrate that way afterwards too," I scoffed.

"Oh we will, don't doubt that for a second my dear Bella… but the bathrobes won't be joining in our celebration," she chuckled.

"Bathrobes? Why are you talking about bathrobes?" Alice asked with a confused expression as we started walking toward the entrance to Jardim Botanico.

"Remember last night when we went to dinner and I said that they weren't joining us because they were spending some quality time together?" Rose asked, tittering softly. Alice nodded and waited for her to continue.

"Well they're idea of quality time was getting down and dirty in their bathrobes…I'm assuming after the proposal," she laughed as I bit my lip.

"What were you guys just standing around in bathrobes when you dropped down on one knee?" Alice asked with an incredulous tone, looking intently at Edward. I chuckled and looked up at him wondering how he planned on answering that. He looked down at me with an expression that borderline begged me to answer them for him. I figured I'd spare him that one time and turned my head to face her as I answered.

"No it wasn't anything like that. We had our bathrobes on while we were "celebrating" because we had just gotten out of the tub," I said, avoiding mentioning the proposal.

"So he proposed before that? Ew! Edward! You were all sweaty and gross when you did it?" she squeaked with a disgusted face that made us laugh.

"No Alice, I was clean when I proposed to her…that was probably the only part of the night I got right though," he grimaced after rolling his eyes slightly.

"So wait, it was after the bath, and before you were celebrating in your robes…so you got dressed somewhere in between the two times you were wearing the robes? Or did you take a shower before taking the bath?" she asked, looking completely befuddled. He looked down at me with a pleading look to which I laughed and shook my head.

"Ali honey, stop trying to figure it out before you blow a fuse. They got engaged at some point last night, how and when doesn't really matter," Jasper cut in as he drew her closer to his side. "Welcome to the family Bells," he said as he winked at me and grinned.

"Thanks Jasper," I smiled back at him.

"You're not getting out of this Bells…I'll drop it for now, but rest assured…I will find out all the details later," she said with a look that dared me to challenge her. "For now though, there's a more pressing matter that we need to address," she said and I quirked a curious brow at her.

"I'm lost Ali…what pressing matter?" I asked confusedly.

"Your engagement party! Bella! This is gonna be so awesome! We can have our own little luau at Mezcalito's or something!" she squealed excitedly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said hurriedly, waving my hands and coming to a complete stop in the middle of the path as they all turned toward me.

"First of all…how about a little "Congratulations Edward and Bella, we're so happy for you?" I asked as I crossed my arms. Really, they just found out we got engaged and all they cared about was why we were wearing robes, if he was wearing a robe when it happened, why someone found out before them, and planning engagement parties and weddings.

"That's what you get for trying to keep it a secret from us and letting us figure it out on our own," Rose laughed as she sauntered over to me and wrapped her arms around me.

"Congratulations Bells, I'm ecstatic for you," she chuckled as she stepped to the side to hug Edward and Alice stepped in, repeating Rosalie's sentiments as Emmett and Jasper chuckled. Shit, it was pathetic that they had welcomed me to their family before my best friends expressed their excitement for something other than a freaking party.

"Second of all, Alice you need to rein yourself in just a smidge," I said as I held my forefinger and thumb together in her direction. "There's nothing traditional about us and I'd kind of like to keep up with that tradition," I laughed.

"What? What's that supposed to mean? Keeping up with a tradition-less tradition?" Alice asked, looking thoroughly confused as I chuckled.

"Yes, it means I don't want some huge fairytale wedding with a dress I can't breathe or sit in, or someone releasing hundreds of birds into the air that shit all over us and the guests, or giant cakes that have the ability to crush me should they topple over on me, or hundreds of guests to stare at me as I trip down the aisle. None of that nonsense Alice. Look, can…can we just put all of this aside until Edward and I at least get a chance to talk about what _we _want?" I pleaded. It wasn't that I wasn't excited about the idea of getting married to Edward, I was…unfathomably so, but for crying out loud _we_ hadn't even talked about what kind of wedding we wanted yet.

"Fine," she sighed begrudgingly before pointing at me and narrowing her eyes. "But don't think this means I'll forget about it in a day or two."

"I'd never expect you to Ali. Come on…let's enjoy the sightseeing today. There's plenty of time ahead of us for you to grill me about details," I chuckled as I linked my arm with hers and the four of us started walking again.

Rosalie and Emmett had already wandered off ahead, and were stopping every few feet so Rose could take a few pictures. Alice and Jasper had caught up with them quickly, and we strolled along behind everyone, taking in the beautiful scenery and steadfastly ignoring the occasional joke tossed in our direction pertaining to secret proposals and of course the _endlessly amusing _robe and terry cloth quips. We repeatedly chose to pretend we hadn't heard them, and over time fell back a ways from the others, setting our own leisurely pace and enjoying the displays.

It wasn't anything like what I'd expected from a botanical garden. It was more like walking on a path carved through mother nature. As expected, Rosalie went nuts with her camera, taking hundreds of pictures of all of us against archways, statues, and pretty much anything she could find. I had to admit, out of everything we'd seen so far, the Orchid House that we were currently in was probably my favorite area so far with all of its vibrantly colored exotic flowers.

"So are you two _ever _gonna tell us how the big proposal went down?" Emmett asked as we meandered down the path on our way out of the Orchid House.

"What's the big deal with how I did it? I asked, and she said yes. What else is there to know?" Edward countered, sounding thoroughly exasperated. I bit my lip and tightened my arm around his waist in a comforting gesture before sneaking my arm up the back of his shirt and running my hand over his skin softly.

"Uhhh _everything_ bro. Like what'd ya say, what'd ya do? I can't imagine you just like walking around in your robe and saying something like "Hey Bella…whattaya say we get hitched?" or some shit like that," he pressed, doing a horrible imitation of Edward I might add.

"Bella! Come take a picture with us!" Rosalie hollered. I excused myself from the guys, giving Edward a quick kiss and an apologetic smile before heading over to them. I joined them in the shade of some trees off to the side of the path as Rosalie handed her camera to another tourist, who sounded to be American, and showed them which button to press. Alice stood next to me and Rose sauntered over and crouched down in front of us as we huddled together and smiled, waiting for the man to snap the picture.

"Bella!..." Edward yelled, all three of them sprinting down the path towards us and pulling my attention away from the man with the camera.

"OW! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" I wailed as something large, spiky, and hard nailed me right in the shoulder just as the stupid camera went off. Alice, Rosalie and I all looked up toward the sky, just in time to see a green football looking thing falling straight towards us. I barely made out our collective yelps before we were knocked out of the way by a very large and powerful force…named Emmett. Of course out of the four of us, I was the only one to get twisted up in my own legs and fall straight on my ass.

"Baby…Love, are you okay?" Edward asked frantically, squatting down beside me and running his hands and eyes over every visible inch of my skin.

"I'm fine…I'm fine, just a little run in with good old Mother Earth and Emmett," I grumbled, twisting my legs and arms to check for anything that might require something more than a bandaid.

"Jesus that scared the shit out of me. You three would have been nailed again if Emmett hadn't already been heading back toward the three of you," he muttered, looking around us quickly. Emmett and Jasper were tending to both Rosalie and Alice a few feet away and I sighed a breath of relief that they both seemed to be okay.

"What the hell were those things? And why the _hell _were they falling from the sky?" I asked as a thud resounded from behind me and I jumped, causing a winded chuckle to emanate from Edward as he helped me up.

"Those, my love," he said as he pointed to the football sized things scattered and splattered around us, "are Jackfruits. They grow on the trunk and branches of the Jaca trees you all were standing under."

"They're freaking _huge_!" I bellowed as my eyes popped open as wide as saucers.

_Those damn things are fruit that grow in __**trees**__? They're like freaking watermelons!_

"Bells, you okay? You didn't get scraped up or anything did you?" Alice called out from across the path.

"No, I'm fine. You two didn't get hit did you?" I asked as I turned away from Edward and toward them.

"No…but holy hell Bella you should see our faces in these pictures," Rose guffawed as she studied the LCD screen of her camera. I laughed and went to move toward them when Edward stopped me.

"Honey…don't move," Edward said calmly, avoiding my eyes and staring intently down at my shoulder.

"What? Why? What is it?" I whimpered, fearing there was some giant tarantula or something on my shoulder. I started bouncing around trying to look over my shoulder. "Edward, dammit what's on me?"

"Hold still for a second. I think your shoulder's bleeding love," he said as he gripped the sides of my arms to still my movements and quickly started lifting the back of my shirt. Of course, because I'm a spazz like that, I started bouncing and whimpering again as I tried to see what he was looking at as he hissed.

"What is it? Is it bad? _Edward_," I whimpered again, not even caring how much of my flesh he was exposing for the world around us to see.

"Baby, please hold still. It's not bad, you just got scratched up by the prickles on the fruit," he said calmly as he shed his short sleeved button down shirt and pulled his undershirt off. He used it to gently wipe away at the scrapes that I was just now beginning to feel as my adrenaline wore off.

"Edward what happened?" Emmett asked with a worried expression as he jogged over in our direction with everyone else hot on his heels.

"She's alright, just got scraped up by that damn jackfruit that she got pelted with," he grumbled as he gently lowered the back of my shirt. Even though I now had a new pain to add to my list of discomforts of the day, I couldn't help but chuckle and shake my head as I turned to face him.

_Only me…_

"Aunt Di's gonna kick your _butt_," I laughed as he paled slightly. "I'm just kidding Edward, I won't tell her."

"Come on baby girl, there's a first aid kit in the truck. I made sure to pack one just for you," Emmett chuckled, pulling me away from Edward and effortlessly tossing me over his shoulder as I squealed. "Edward put a damn shirt on will ya? People are staring for Christ's sake, and I don't believe they supply _robes_ here," he called back as he strolled in the direction of the parking lot.

I swung from his back silently for a few minutes as Emmett whistled and continued down the path, wondering if saying something about the teasing comments would help or make it indefinitely worse. I saw how Edward cringed every time robes were mentioned, or we were asked about the proposal, and I hated it. It was a special moment for us, and it almost seemed as though it caused him pain whenever it was mentioned. Even if I didn't see what the big deal was with how he had proposed, he had some major issues with it, and nothing I said made it any better. If I was being honest, I'd rather spill the beans about it and be able to laugh and enjoy how utterly spontaneous and just plain _us_ the moment was, rather than have him feel the need to do it all over again.

"Em?"

"Yeah baby girl?" he responded to my soft voice.

"Can you guys please ease up on him a little? He's already beating himself up over the whole proposal because it didn't happen the way he wanted it to. It wasn't how he planned on asking me, but I don't care because I love the way it happened," I said after lifting my head slightly to make sure the others were at least out of audible distance.

"Oh come on!" he whined and I chuckled lightly as I swayed in time with his steps over his back. "This is the first thing in _years_ I've been able to get him riled up over."

"Please?"

"Ugh…fine. Only cause _you_ asked me to though," he chuckled.

"Em?"

"Yeah baby girl?" he laughed.

"All my blood is collecting in my head," I laughed, starting to feel slightly dizzy.

"Oh shit…sorry," he muttered quickly, lowering me to my feet. "How's about a piggy back ride instead?"

"Sounds great to me…but don't expect a tip," I laughed as he chuckled and bent down in front of me. I clambered up onto his back and he stood as I looked back at the others. Alice was riding on Jasper's back, and Edward had an arm around Rose and it looked as though they were deep in conversation.

"Hey jackasses! I'll race ya's to the truck!" Emmett bellowed. Edward looked up and grinned at us and then winked at Rose as he pointed to his back. I had to laugh at the look on her face as she hopped on.

"Is he really gonna be able to carry me?!" she hollered to me, a look of apprehension and nervousness upon her face. He rolled his eyes and hopped slightly, positioning her higher on his back.

"Christ Rose! You act like you weigh a ton!" Alice laughed as she turned on Jasper's back.

"Well shit! I weigh a solid thirty pounds more then either of you two twigs!" she guffawed back.

"Just watch your feet Rose! I don't want my future kids to take a whoopin' like yours did!" I called back to her as Emmett laughed and tickled the backs of my knees. I squirmed as I squealed and almost slid off his back but he caught me and hoisted me back up as the others finally met up with us.

"You guys ready?" Emmett asked as he looked at each of them. "You two shits are gonna need the practice for the family reunion."

"Just call it asshole," Jasper retorted as Edward took his stance and chuckled under his breath.

"On your marks…get set…GO!" Emmett bellowed and took off. Rosalie and Alice both squealed and laughed as both Edward and Jasper took off past us, leaving our asses in the dust as I laughed hysterically. For all that shit talkin', old man Emmett was being dusted. It wasn't until he slowed back down to a stroll when the others were far ahead of us that I realized he'd done it on purpose.

"Suckers," he chuckled, laughing softly at the four of them still sprinting down the path.

"You know, if I woulda know you were rigging the race, I might have sequestered a different horse," I joked.

"Eh…I did it for a reason. It's not every day I get to have bonding time with my future sister in law," he replied, grinning widely at me as he tilted his head.

"You seem pretty stoked about that," I chuckled as he nodded.

"I am. You see, I always hoped there would be someone out there for Edward. Someone that would care for him and make him feel like he had a place in their life, a place where he felt he belonged. My brother happened to find an amazing woman to love, who by some miracle loves him just as much, and I get an awesome sister out of the deal. What's there to _not_ be stoked about?" he said with a cheesy grin.

"You really think of me as a little sister huh?" I grinned right back.

"Absolutely. Have since pretty much the day I met you," he chuckled.

"You know…I don't have a brother, but I always wanted one," I said with a twinkle in my eye.

"Oh yeah?" he asked with a slight smirk. I bit my lip and nodded.

"Yup…so I could do this…" I trailed off laughing as I put him in a head lock and furiously rubbed my knuckles against the top of his head, giving him the noogie of a lifetime.

"You little twirp!" he laughed, struggling to pull me off of where I had clamped myself onto his back. I laughed, feeling victorious until he grabbed a hold of my sides and started tickling the hell out of me until my grip loosened and I started to slide off his back. When my toes hit the ground he let go of my arms and spun around as I quickly retreated backwards.

"You're gonna pay for that little one," he laughed darkly as he started mirroring my movements. I faked left and then dodged right trying to get past him.

"Ow, OW! My hips!" I laughed, trying to run but doing more of a funky gallop as I laughed. He boomed with laughter behind me as he quickly caught me and tossed me back over his shoulder, and immediately started attacking the backs of my knees with his fingers. I squirmed and wriggled as I laughed hysterically, trying to get out of his grasp.

"Oh my…god…uncle…UNCLE!!" I shrieked breathlessly, still laughing as he stopped and I tried to catch my breath.

"Babe! I hope you bought some shorts in that store! I think the twirp peed on my shoulder!" Emmett bellowed through his laughter.

"Emmett!" I screeched. "I did _not_ pee on you!" I wailed through my laughter, turning bright crimson, though I'm unsure as to whether the coloring of my face had more to do with embarrassment or the fact that my upper torso was hanging upside down again.

"I forgot how much fun it is to embarrass your siblings," he chuckled, lowering me down to the ground. I scowled at him, fighting back the snicker rising in my chest, as he put an arm around me, resting his massive forearm next to my neck so as not to put any pressure on my scraped up shoulder.

"What happened hot shot? Get winded after ten feet when we blew past your ass?" Jasper taunted as we approached the truck. "Couldn't even finish carrying her to the finish line?"

"Shut the hell up. I did that crap on purpose. You know I can whoop your sorry ass any day of the week," Emmett retorted. I laughed and detached myself from Emmett's side and made my way to the back of the truck where Edward was sitting with the back door wide open.

"What took you guys so long?" he smirked, holding his arms out for me. I chuckled and stepped in between his legs as I wrapped my arms around him.

"Emmett decided to make us some sibling bonding time," I replied as I smiled up at him.

"Ah, and here I thought the old fart was just getting rusty," he chuckled.

"Bella, blue or white?" Rose asked as she dug through a bag in the front of the truck.

"Blue or white what?" I asked confusedly.

"Shirt nitwit," she laughed looking back at me and holding up two shirts.

"Oh…um, blue I guess," I replied, catching it as she tossed it my way.

"Come on love, let's get those scrapes cleaned up," Edward said, and kissed my forehead as he slid off the back of the truck.

He shut the back door and led me around to the rear passenger door and opened it for me to hop in. I settled into the backseat and pulled my shirt over my head, but kept it against my chest. Tinted windows be damned, I wasn't putting on a free show for anyone.

"This might sting a little honey," he said softly as he tore an alcohol swab package open. My face scrunched up as I bit back a hiss when the alcohol hit my open skin and it burned like holy hell. He gently pushed my hair over my opposite shoulder and the burning sensation was rapidly lost as I felt his warm open lips touch the base of my neck, his tongue darting out and swirling against my skin before his lips closed with a soft sucking sound.

"Is that better?" he breathed against my skin. I hummed as my eyes closed and I reached behind me to wrap my fingers in his soft hair. His mouth traveled from the base of my neck around to the side, leaving a trail of soft wet kisses.

"Edward," I moaned, turning my head to the side in search of his lips. His arm wrapped around my front as his hand came up to grasp the side of my face. His eyes blazed into mine as he gently tilted my head up and I dropped my arm to place my hand against his.

"Have I ever told you how much I love the way you interact with my family?" he whispered, his lips brushing lightly against my own. I shook my head slightly, as my lips curved up into a smile.

"They'll be my family one day too," I said softly, sliding my fingers in between his against the side of my face, feeling utterly thrilled at the idea of gaining such a wonderful family.

"Bella," he whispered, closing his eyes and caressing my cheek with his thumb.

"Yeah?" I whispered back, tilting my head up slightly further.

"We should get your other shirt on before someone opens the door," he said, his eyes opening suddenly and mine fluttering as my haze of lust quickly dissipated and my hand fell to my lap.

"Shirt…right," I muttered, not quite sure to make of his sudden change. Had I said or done something wrong that caused him to back away suddenly? Did someone bang on a window and I failed to hear it?

"Do you want me to put a bandage over the scratches?" he asked, digging through the first aid kit.

"No…it'll be fine," I mumbled, roughly tugging the new shirt over my head and yanking my hair out from the collar. I ran my hands through my hair and tugged the hair band over my wrist, twisting my hair into a messy bun before plopping back against the seat.

"Where are we going next?" I asked, watching as he closed the kit and made to drop it behind our seat.

"Pao de Acucar…Sugar Loaf Mount…" he stopped suddenly as his eyes locked with mine. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing I'm fine why?" I asked as my brow furrowed.

"Your eyes are sad…what's wrong? What'd I do?" he asked worriedly, running the backs of his fingers from my temple to my chin.

"You didn't do anything," I replied, smiling faintly.

"Bella," he chided with pleading eyes. I sighed as my shoulders slumped and I started picking at an invisible thread on the hem of my shorts.

"It's just…I don't understand why you pulled away so suddenly. Did I do or say something wrong?" I asked, avoiding looking at him in fear that if I did my eyes would tear.

"What? Baby…No, no you didn't say or do anything wrong," he replied frantically, sliding across the seat and grasping my face in both hands to guide it up to meet his gaze.

"I'm sorry," he whispered and pressed his lips to mine.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," he said as he pulled away, but quickly brought his lips back to mine and sucked my bottom lip between them. I tilted my head as my fingers weaved into the hair at the back of his head and met his tongue with my own as he released my lip. His arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me toward him, lifting me easily and positioning me straddling his lap. I sighed, completely forgetting where we were and anything else that was outside of our little bubble as his warm hands slid under the back of my shirt, and ran up and down the length of my spine.

"Oh for the love of all that's holy…BREAK IT UP BACK THERE!" Emmett boomed, laughing mightily as we broke apart instantly. I blushed furiously as the laughter of everyone else joined in as they slid into the car.

"And right there, my love, lies the reason I needed you to put a shirt on," he smirked, still breathless as I bit my lip and slid off of him into my own seat.

"Awww…they're so cute," Alice sang mockingly. "Can't leave them alone for five minutes or they'll suck each other's faces off," she laughed. I rolled my eyes at her as Edward chuckled faintly and pulled me back into his side.

"You guys aren't gonna go all porno tongue at the wedding ceremony are you?" Rose laughed as she twisted, leaning on the console as she faced us. Edward tensed slightly beside me and I sighed, wishing the whole damn proposal thing wasn't bothering him as much as it was.

"I'm sure Jane would _love_ that," Jasper laughed as Edward grimaced and groaned.

"Can we _not_ talk about _Jane_? We still have almost two blessed weeks before she arrives," Edward grumbled from beside me. I wanted to snicker at his obvious dislike of his pseudo-cousin who apparently harbors multiple crushes on the men in the truck according to Kelly, but I held it back, not wanting to make him even more uncomfortable at the moment.

"She's not _that _bad bro," Emmett piped in as he backed out of the parking space.

"Yeah well it wasn't _your_ ass that she grabbed at the last family reunion," Edward muttered with a mixed look of annoyance and disgust. I couldn't help it, I snorted, holding my hand over my face as I snickered away.

"You find that funny, love?" he smirked. I snorted again, squeezing my eyes shut tight as loud snickers erupted from my throat. I don't know what was funnier, the fact that someone their family viewed as _family_ grabbed his ass, or that he was so blatantly appalled by it.

"Maybe I should have her grab my ass again then, seeing as how it amuses you so much," he said, his tone entirely playful but his words cut right through my amusement just as efficiently as if his voice would have been angered.

"Over my dead body," I growled, all traces of my amusement vanished as everyone else erupted into laughter…including Edward.

"You know…it might actually be a good idea to not invite her to the wedding. Who knows what kind of shenanigans she'd pull at that type of function," Jasper chuckled. I laced my fingers together with Edward's and gave his hand a squeeze.

"Stop. It was perfect," I whispered in his ear and kissed his jaw. He smiled down at me, but it was tense and his eyes betrayed his efforts as he leaned in to press a kiss to my forehead.

"Hey, robe bandits in the back…are you two hungry?" Emmett bellowed, looking at us through the rearview mirror as Edward groaned beside me and his head flopped back against the headrest.

"_Emmett_," I growled, scowling at his reflection. His brow pulled together as he glanced at the road and then back into the mirror.

"What? What'd I say?"

_Oh for the love of God…does he have short term memory loss or something?_?

* * *

**AN: Please don't forget to head on over to the Razzle Dazzle Awards and vote for your favorite stories. Oh, and review! Leave me lots of love...it eases my stress tremendously ^_^ Much love to you all, you guys rock my world hardcore! Special thanks to Jules and Tasha for listening to me bitch endlessly about all things RL and FF related lately. It's because of them that I was actually able to force myself to finish writing this chapter. Love you girlies lots! ~Jersey~**


	21. Cristo Redentor Redeem Us Please

**AN: Where in the world does time go? So I wish I could say that the chaos in my RL is over..but it isn't. Far from it actually. Bare with me here folks. I finally found my apartment, and my moving date is set for Sept. 15th. I'll be spending between now and then packing up everything I own, and subsequently tossing a bunch of what I own since I can't fit an entire house worth of crap in a crappy lil apartment. ::sigh:: Hopefully it won't take me long to get settled in once the bulk of the move is made, and my update schedule will return to normal. Sorry about the wait people, but bear with me and we'll get through it. **

**On a brighter note...this story is up for awards on various sites... Best All Human at The Razzle Dazzle Awards, Heatwave Award at The Shimmer Awards for the Salsa chapter you all loved so much lol, and Best Incomplete All Human Fanfiction at The Twilight All Human Fanfiction Awards. **

**For those of you who have read Breaking the Silence, it's up for the Damsel in Distress award over at the Twilighters Choice Awards. **

**And low and behold, Anywhere But Here has made it into the final voting rounds at the Indie Twific Awards for Best Collaboration. Please take a minute to hit up all the award sites and vote for your favorite stories. There are some awesome stories in all the nomination categories on each site...pretty damn tough competition too lol. **

**Go vote people! All links are in my profile! Support your favorite authors and stories!! ^_^**

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Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, but what I wouldn't give to join them in paradise!

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Cristo Redentor…Redeem Us Please

BPOV

As if our afternoon hadn't been stressful enough, by the time we were approaching the restaurant Emmett had chosen for lunch, I wasn't sure who wanted to bail out of the back hatch of the truck while it was still moving more, Edward or myself. The teasing comments about the robes had ceased after my growled warning to Emmett, and instigations over Edward's secret proposal had diminished as well, but what took their place, in my eyes anyway, was infinitely worse. At least I could laugh about the robe comments or their undying curiosity over Edward's methods of "popping the question".

Alice and Rosalie's head first plunge into all details relating to engagement parties, bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinners, wedding ceremonies, and receptions, had me tugging painfully at the roots of my hair as horrifying visions of giant white gowns, complete with fifty foot long trains and veils that made me feel as though I were pulling a mack truck behind me, and arriving at the altar looking as though I'd been dunked in a freaking swimming pool, assaulted the backs of my eyelids.

If it weren't for Edward's soothing touch and softly murmured words of reassurance that he'd be just as happy getting married by Elvis in Vegas, though I _know_ he _had_ to be joking, I sincerely think I would have scrambled over the back seat and launched myself out of the back of the truck as Emmett barreled down the road. Apparently my obvious stress over their rendition of my perfect wedding trumped his stress over what I thought was our perfect proposal.

By the time we had pulled into the parking lot and Emmett had cut the engine, I'd reached my breaking point, and very possibly spoke before I could even contemplate what I was actually saying. The words that had come out of my mouth would either come to be my greatest blessing, or would come to be the start of my personal vision of hell…with the only ray of sunshine capable of breaking through the monsoon of bridal horror being the fact that I would be marrying Edward. Somehow though, at the time, it seemed entirely worth it to bet the entire planning of our wedding against their inability to avoid mentioning it again for a full twenty four hours, if only to temporarily remove the horrific images from the backs of my eyelids.

It wasn't until after we'd successfully made it through an entire lunch, car ride, and a tremendous wait in line at Sugar Loaf Mountain, that I began to worry if I'd sold my soul to the devils themselves for just a few hours of peace and quiet, as they had _yet_ to utter a single word that could even be minimally construed as being matrimonially related.

As we boarded the cog train, headed for the sky lift that would give us a supposed splendid aerial view of Rio, my hands began to shake and I became a fidgeting, bumbling, wobbling mess of frazzled nerves…and for once it _wasn't_ because I was about to come face to face with my incredible fear of heights. Nope, I had actually found something that terrified me more than plunging thousands of feet to a messy death. And that fear came in the form of a pair of bride's maid-zillas, the bridal Nazis themselves…Alice and Rosalie.

"Love _relax_," Edward murmured in my ear. My head shot sideways as I looked at him incredulously.

"You're one to talk, Edward. You've been fretting all day over a proposal that I personally found to be perfect. I'm fretting over something that's going to rival the second coming of Hell on Earth," I whisper yelled back to him.

"Bella," he sighed, "There was nothing perfect about how I asked you to marry me…" he started but I cut him off.

"But it _was_ perfect, Edward. It was perfect because it was perfectly _us_. Why can't you see that? Everything about us is spontaneous and unexpected. Why should how we got engaged be any different?" I retorted quietly. I noticed Emmett's gaze shift to me momentarily with questions burning in his eyes. Thankfully he shook it off and turned his attention back to Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper from where the four of them sat across and a few seats back from us. Seating had been rather limited when we'd boarded, and I couldn't have been more thankful for that fact at the moment.

"Because you deserve better than that Bella. You deserve to have me down on one knee in front of you, telling you all the reasons why you complete me and why you becoming my wife would make me the happiest man alive, not hovering over you and telling you all the things that I _want_… it was selfish and thoughtless and you deserve _much _better than that," he whispered in my ear.

"I also deserve to be able to enjoy the bliss that should be accompanying me right now instead of worrying about how you're stressing over something as trivial as how we arrived at this point. It doesn't matter _how_ we got here…only that we're _here_. The way you're reacting to all of this only makes me wonder if it's really just how the proposal went that you regret or if it's the fact that you asked me to marry you to start with that's really got your panties in a twist," I muttered, my voice cracking as I turned my head away from him as I bit back the wave of nausea that my words induced.

_Could that really be it? Is it not the proposal that's bothering him? Oh God…the way he pulled away when I made the comment about his family becoming mine…it's me…he regrets that it's _me_ he asked…_

"Bella…," he murmured, hooking a finger under my chin and gently trying to guide my gaze back to him. I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting back the moisture that had accumulated there, and jerked my head away from his hand. If that was the truth, I didn't want to hear it. I'd need to be on level ground to hear something that would shatter my world so thoroughly, not hundreds of feet in the freaking air. He sighed, muttering some choice curses under his breath and grabbed a more forceful grip on my face and turned my gaze toward him.

"Bella, how could you _possibly_ think that I'd regret asking _you_ to marry me?" he asked, the pain in his eyes clearly visible.

"I don't know…you tell me, Edward. You should be happy and wanting to scream it from rooftops the way I want to. Instead, every time it's mentioned you cringe or grimace, and when I commented about your family becoming mine one day you pulled away from me completely. What else am I supposed to think other than you really don't want to marry me?" I responded, looking straight ahead and avoiding his eyes.

Staring at the back of some stranger's head surprisingly helped me in keeping my voice steady, belying the chaos my emotions had erupted into beneath the surface. Outwardly I may have appeared calm, indifferent even, but on the inside I was anything but. I was a complete disaster on the inside, my stomach heaving and rolling with every thought that ran through my head, my heart rising to my throat and then dropping straight down to my feet at the thought that maybe I really didn't mean as much to him as he'd repeatedly said.

_If this stupid train doesn't stop rocking I'm gonna throw up…God help me once we're in the air…_

"Will you _please _look at me?" he pleaded, guiding my gaze back to him again. "I _don't_ regret asking you to marry me, Bella. I only regret how I did it. And I'm sorry for pulling away from you in the truck, but I have a hard time controlling myself when I'm with you, and I didn't want to risk us getting carried away with all of them standing right outside," he said, his eyes darting between both of mine, begging and pleading for me to believe him.

"Are you sure this is what you really want? That I'm what you really want? Because if you want to back out, now's the time Edward. Don't wait until I getting ready to leave the island. It wouldn't be fair to me to keep stringing me along if this isn't what you want," I replied quickly. I came to the realization that if he was going to back out…there was no better time than right that second. Kind of like ripping off a bandaid. Why wait and keep putting it off, letting the glue adhere the stupid strip with even more force to your skin, when no matter when you ripped the stupid thing off, it would still hurt like bloody hell.

He smiled, one side of his mouth lifting slightly higher than the other in the adorably crooked way that made my knees weak, as his hand came up to cup the side of my cheek. Instinctively I leaned into it, relishing in the comfort that one simple gesture provided as I waited on pins and needles for his words.

"Love, there is nothing and no one in life that I want more than _you_. Please don't let my hang ups on what I messed up make you doubt us or how I feel for you. I've never been more certain of _anything_ in my life than I am of us," he replied, his eyes blazing into my own leaving me with little ability to doubt the sincerity of his words.

"I swear I'll fix this, and it will be memorable and romantic and something we can share with everyone…including our future children and grandchildren," he said, grinning like a fool. I snorted and rolled my eyes as I chuckled and shook my head.

"I don't need for you to do it again, but if it'll make you feel better I'll go along with it. But can you _please_ try to not let it bother you so much in the meantime? I hate knowing that you feel so ashamed about something that should have us deliriously happy right now," I pouted at him. He breathed a silent chuckle and swooped in for a kiss.

"I'll try, I promise," he whispered against my lips, sealing with another kiss just as the train came to a stop.

"Come on porn star," I chuckled, "Let's get this tragic plummet to my watery death over with."

"Are you really _that_ afraid of heights?" he laughed, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind as we shuffled our way off the train.

"Absolutely petrified…only to be topped by the category five hurricanes that are Ali and Rose in wedding planner mode," I laughed back, my laughter possessing a very audible nervous edge.

"Love…what in God's name were you thinking making that bet?" he tittered as my face scrunched up and he pulled me into his side.

"I was thinking the few hours of reprieve would be worth it…now I'm not so sure," I replied, cringing as I laughed softly.

"Do you think they'll be able to do it?" he whispered in my ear as the rest of our group approached us.

"I don't know, but I'm sure as hell hoping they can't," I grumbled, scowling slightly at the smug grins of my two best friends as they approached.

"We're not gonna have a replay of the Great Adventure sky lift debacle from ten years ago are we?" Rose chuckled as she quirked a brow at me. I groaned and buried my face into the side of Edward's chest.

"Why? What happened at Great Adventure?" Edward asked innocently. I lifted my head and grimaced at him as I answered, "I threw up."

"That's putting it lightly," Alice laughed.

"Yeah well, I still claim there was a foul peanut on that candy apple I ate that day," I muttered as we made our way into our cable car.

"I don't think it was so much the peanut as it was the awful concoction of junk you ate that day. I mean really Bella, you ate funnel cake, cotton candy, ice cream, a candy apple, nachos, and a churro all within like two hours in hundred degree heat," Rose laughed. Just listening to the foods I had eaten that day was enough to make my stomach roll…I didn't even need to look out of the window yet. I closed my eyes and took in deep breaths through my nose to fight off the waves of nausea bombarding me and leaned back further into Edward's chest.

"Are you okay?" he whispered in my ear as his arms tightened around my waist. I nodded silently as I crossed my arms over his and caressed his forearms with my fingers.

A few minutes passed, along with queasiness I had been experiencing, and Edward urged me to open my eyes. I gasped as I did, my eyes drinking in the beauty of the scenery surrounding us. Straight ahead we had an amazing view of Sugar Loaf Mountain, standing tall and proud as it rises out of the water from the mouth of Guanabara Bay.

Edward, Emmett, and Jasper rambled off constant tourist information to us, and pretty much every other person riding along with us in the cable car, providing us with damn near every bit of information pertaining to the mountains we were traveling between that I would inevitably never remember. I would, however, remember the view of it all because it was simply breathtaking. I could only imagine how it would look at night with all the city lights of Rio shining brightly around the arc of Guanabara Bay. From the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain, I could even see Cristo Redentor way off in the distance.

Luckily, the queasiness I had experienced in the very beginning of our cable car journey remained at bay for the rest of our journey, though I'm fairly certain it was because I took Edward's advice and only looked outward and never straight down. I'm pretty positive that had I looked straight down as I had that day at Great Adventure, some people may have abandoned ship…or cable car.

"Em, we're gonna have to haul ass if we're gonna make it to Cristo Redentor today," Jasper said as we shuffled our way off the returning cog train.

"We'll make it man, don't worry about it. We'll probably make it in time to see it during the sunset," he replied as we set a quick pace to head back to the truck.

"Rose, how much space do you have left on that camera?" I asked curiously. She had been snapping pictures left and right all day…and not even exclusively at the tourist destinations. She had taken quite a large number of photos of all of us in the truck as well as at lunch.

"This card's almost full but…" she trailed off as she started digging around in her bag, "Shit where'd it go?"

"Where'd what go?" Emmett asked her as he looked over at her while starting up the truck.

"The spare memory card. I brought a second one just in case," she mumbled, still digging through her bag.

"A ha! Sneaky lil bugger. We're good Bells. I can put at least another six hundred or so photos on the spare card," she said, her smile victorious.

"What in god's name are you going to do with all those photos?" Jasper laughed as he shook his head.

"Honey, just because we take em…doesn't mean we keep em all," Alice laughed and then went into full on tutorial mode on Rose's final photo selection process. I snorted and shook my head as Edward leaned into me.

"Does Rose have some scientific method for _everything_?" he whispered. I snickered and nodded, not bothering to go into specifics because it would probably take up the rest of our vacation.

"Ali is just as bad…I just wait til they're done and pick a few from whatever they decided was good enough to keep," I chuckled.

The drive over to Cristo Redentor seemed to go by quickly with numerous conversations keeping our attention off the actual journey. Edward and Emmett had a lengthy discussion over things that needed to be tended to once we were all back on the island. Apparently Esme had called him earlier that morning and gave the boys an entire laundry list of tasks that needed to be done before their family started arriving. The more I heard about their "family" members, the more nervous I became to meet all of them. Edward assured me that the majority of them very down to earth and easy to like people…it was just the select few that the guys had a rather large distaste for. Among those select few were Jane, for obvious reasons, Irina, apparently because she was rather pretentious and self absorbed, and their Uncle Caius because he was a "crab-ass old man" as Emmett put it.

Alice, Rosalie, and I tried to volunteer to help, but of course, the guys wouldn't hear of it. They remained firm in their insistence that our days were to be spent enjoying our vacation, not scrubbing surfaces until they sparkled, or stocking villas, or getting things gathered and ready for the reunion festivities. Their absolute resolve on the matter kind of made me wonder if we'd _ever _be allowed to lift a finger to do a mundane task again. I couldn't imagine living my entire life being doted on…honestly it would drive me insane. There may be some women out there that would enjoy that type of treatment, but I was _not_ one of them. I jokingly voiced that concern to Edward and he chuckled as he retorted with "Bella, even though I thoroughly enjoy doting on you, there is a major difference between real life and having paid to vacation at a resort. I don't recall people donning rubber gloves and do-rags being anywhere on our brochure."

Just as Emmett had predicted, we arrived at the station where the cog train destined for Cristo Redentor departs from just as the sun was beginning to sink lower in the sky. As we took our seats on the train, I couldn't help but overhear the couple sitting two seats ahead of us, speaking animatedly to the couple sitting in the row next to them about how they had come here their first day in Brazil and opted to take a cab up to the statue rather than the train we were boarded on. Edward and I laughed out loud as the woman began ranting about how her life had flashed before her eyes and she swore they were never going to make it to the statue that day with how fast the cab driver was driving on the windy road. She claimed that once they had arrived at the statue, they were too busy praying for a safe return to actually enjoy the sight of the monument.

As they had done during our cable car regaled us with tons of facts about the statue and the mountain, Corcovado Mountain, that it was built upon. Out of everything that both they, as well as the guide on the train, had told us, probably the only tidbit that would stick in my brain was the fact that the forestry that the train traversed was entirely planted by man. Much of what they said was lost on me as I was completely awed by the sneaking glimpses of views when the forestry parted. The train ride was slow, and much of it was at an incredibly steep incline that had numerous passengers moaning and groaning, but aside from the popping of my ears with the altitude change, it was rather enjoyable.

"Someone please tell me we are _not_ climbing all those steps up to the statue," Rose muttered as we exited the train. I snickered under my breath, my aches and pains of the morning seeming to have disappeared throughout the day.

"Aw why not babe? It's the best way to do it," Em replied, "besides, even hobbles and wobbles over there seemed to have loosened up enough to do it."

"Emmett come on, you promised," I whined.

"What? I was just merely making an observation that the two of you weren't walking funny anymore. Though why the two of you would go so buck wild on each other knowing you'd be walking all day is rather puzzling," he chuckled.

"They were celebrating Em…well I guess still celebrating, or re-celebrating…whatever," Alice laughed. At that point even Edward was laughing softly over the whole morning debacle, and I breathed a sigh of relief that he seemed to be lightening up about it.

"Ali it only counts as celebrating right after. What they were doing this morning was all out fucking," Rose laughed as a bunch of heads turned in our direction.

"Rose!" I chastised, "We're on the steps of a freaking religious monument for crying out loud."

"Bells, don't be such a prude. Without fornication there would be no procreation, and if memory serves correctly…you become quite _religious_ while defiling robes," she retorted as she rolled her eyes, causing a number of people to laugh and shake their heads as we climbed the steps of the monument.

"I swear only my friends would talk about sex on the steps of a religious monument erected in worship of a man birthed by a virgin," I muttered as Edward laughed.

"You know…this crap's been bugging me all day. When the hell did you have time to propose to baby girl last night? We weren't back long before Rose and I came to get you," Em said with a look of confusion as he looked between Edward and I.

"Exactly how long do you think it takes to ask "Will you marry me?" I told you it wasn't planned, well it was planned but not for that moment in time, so it wasn't some long drawn out affair," Edward responded, running a hand through his hair.

"Bro I know you. There's _no way_ you were just standing around and suddenly blurted out "Bella will you marry me?" There's no freaking way," Em shot back.

"He's kinda right Edward. You may not have been a man of many words over the last few years, but when it comes to something that's important to you, you kind of have a tendency to babble," Jasper chuckled. I laughed quietly, thinking back to just how much he said before those words came out of his mouth.

"I don't understand what the big deal is over the whole thing. Most people would be divulging every single detail of it…well minus the whole having someone walk in on you having sex bit…" Rosalie said, but trailed off chuckling at first as she set her knowing eyes on my panicked ones and then laughing hysterically.

"Holy shit, Bella! I'm totally getting you a cake that looks like two people bonking in robes for your bachelorette party!" she guffawed.

And then it happened.

Right there, standing on the platform of a giant statue of Jesus flipping Christ, with swarms of people surrounding us, the sinking sun bestowed rays of clarified knowledge directly on Emmett and at the top of his lungs he bellowed, "Oh my fucking God! You proposed while you were plowing her?!"

Now on any given day in Edward's world, it would have been embarrassing enough for the information to come out to just the other four members of our group, but because Karma had some vindictive streak a mile long, not only did what he viewed as a reprehensible injustice in the holy lands of marriage proposals reach the ears of our friends and family, it also reached the ears of probably every person within a five mile radius…including a decrepit ninety something year old witch that just so happened to be walking past us. Before we could even confirm or deny his outburst, all hell broke loose around us as that ninety something year old witch instantly decided to transform her purse, that could rightly be considered luggage, into what could have potentially been considered a lethal weapon…right on poor Edward.

"Hey! HEY! Granny, back off!" I yelled as I tried to grab a hold of her flailing handbag as she muttered angrily. What the hell she was saying was lost among the ruckus of laughter and shouting that had erupted all around us. After quite a few swings of that wretched bag, I finally managed to get my hands on the straps long enough to stop yet another one of her swings and she backed up.

"You all should be ashamed of yourselves, talking in such foul taste in such a sacred place!" she scowled, hoisting the straps of her damn duffle bag over her shoulder. "And _you_…," she growled, pointing directly at Edward, "Did your mother never teach you how to court a lady?"

"Of all the vile things I've ever heard," she muttered, not even bothering to wait for an answer as she hobbled away.

"Are you happy now Emmett? Would you perhaps like to call Mom and Aunt Diane and share the news with them? Though I'm fairly certain they heard you from here," Edward roared as I stepped in front of him and placed my hands on his chest. We'd already made quite the scene, and I highly doubted adding any more violence into the mix would help matters any.

"I'm sorry…you should have just told me to start with," he sputtered, trying to suppress his laughter.

"I didn't _want_ to tell you until I redeemed myself, but oh _no_, nothing in this family can ever be private. Hell you couldn't even keep it in the family, you had to go and tell all of goddamn Brazil and get me publicly _flogged_," Edward ranted angrily as I pushed against his chest.

"Come on…please calm down," I pleaded with him while reining in my own anger. I honestly didn't know who I was more angry at, Emmett for blurting it out to the world, the damn hag with the bag, or Edward for making such a big damn deal about it in the first place. The more they argued, and ignored my pleading, the angrier I got. The entire situation was beyond embarrassing, and their inability to let it go until we were in private was thoroughly pissing me off. Even Jasper, Alice, and Rosalie's attempts to get them to back down were fruitless and I finally reached my breaking point and stepped away, unwilling to be a part of the spectacle they were creating any longer.

"Rose…gimme your camera please. I've had enough," I muttered, holding my hand out for her camera. She looked at me sadly as she placed it my hand and quietly asked if I was okay and if I wanted her to join me. I shook my head and told her I was fine but I needed to be alone for a few minutes.

I walked off, leaving the entire debacle still raging in full force behind me. I couldn't even bear to look up and see the faces of the other tourists around me. If anything was coursing through me in greater quantities than the anger I felt, it was pure mortification. Shutting everything out around me, I focused solely on the camera and the views and started snapping away in a borderline obsessive fashion. I took shots of the surrounding area, some of the statue itself from various angles, and even some of the idiots once they finally finished arguing. I assumed Rosalie had warned them to give me my space, as none of them approached me for some length of time, but each time I turned my eyes to them, Edward's worried and sorrowful eyes locked on mine making me highly aware that the only sight he was seeing at our tourist hotspot was me.

By the time I made my way to the edge of the monument grounds, to a spot looking out toward the ocean and Sugar Loaf Mountain, I had run out of things to take pictures of and was left solely with my thoughts to keep me company. With everything that had transpired throughout the day, my mind was plagued with the question of whether or not it could have all been avoided. Even though he had said he planned to propose again the right way, or rather _his _version of the right way since I had no issues with the way he had done so originally, he hadn't let on just _how much_ the way it happened was bothering him. If we had just talked about it, or if I had just asked how badly it truly bothered him, maybe we would have come to the decision to not say anything at all until after he had "redeemed himself". Hell, we could have even just come up with some fabricated story of how it happened if we had just actually _talked_ about it instead of riding the emotional highs we were on and trying to screw each others brains out.

And then there was the question of why he was so damn bothered by it to begin with. I understood his wanting to have been more traditional in his actions; being down on one knee, having the entire event exude romanticism…to have had the ring, but why couldn't he see that the words he spoke were above and beyond any of it? Most proposals focus on the man providing the reasons why he loves the woman he's kneeling in front of, and while it's incredibly romantic, what Edward had done had surpassed it by a long shot because he made it about _us_ not just about _me_. Hearing him tell me things he wanted for us and for our future was far more romantic than him just repeating the reasons why he loves me, the same reasons that he's told me numerous times during our time together. I couldn't see where any of that was faulty…funny simply because he was between my legs instead of down on one of his, but nowhere near faulty.

The only things his proposal lacked were material items…flowers, wine, scoreboards…whatever else he could have possibly come up with as well as a few items of clothes. All of which I could have cared less for. So was it really just the lack of those things that bothered him, or was it something else that was making it such an unbearable ordeal for him? And at that question I became stumped, not for a lack of possible answers, but for an overwhelming plethora of them. Although he had assured me that his issues resided solely with just the proposal itself, I couldn't completely disregard the possibility that he was merely placating my worries.

Was it really the proposal, or was it really me? There were so many different variables that could be plugged into the equation where the sum or product equaled his level of stress that it wasn't even funny. Things like the short length of time that we'd known each other and been together, the fact that we still hadn't met each other's families, or how quickly our relationship had taken root, and what real life after vacation would really be like…or the plain and simple fact that we still barely knew each other; all these things, and many more, could very well possibly be the real driving force(s) behind his stress. If that was the case, no matter which issue was the instigator, it might not be so much that he was stressed, it was entirely possible that he was downright panicking…and now so was I.

I wasn't sure I'd be able to handle it if he broke down and said he'd made a mistake. I had accepted his proposal because I knew deep down that he was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I wanted to spend the rest of my life getting to know him inside and out, learning new things about him each and every single day. The knowledge of him being _the one_ wasn't something I had to learn, it was just _there_, as if it had always been there but I hadn't known it because it hadn't been brought to life until that magnetic pull between us sparked when we'd met. My biggest fear now was what was I going to do if that knowledge was the only thing I had left when I went back to Seattle?

"It's beautiful isn't it?" I murmured as Edward's arms encircled me from behind. My heart pounded against my chest, equal parts love and anguish with each painful beat. In some part of my brain I knew I should voice my concerns, but in another part, a much larger part, I feared that in doing so I would lose whatever time I had left with him…so I remained silent.

"Yes…you are. A thousand times more beautiful than any scenic view at sunset," he replied softly, nuzzling against the side of my neck. I closed my eyes and let the feeling of being complete wash over me, temporarily drowning out my worries and fears, resolved to just be in this moment with him.

"How's your arm?" I asked lightly, a teasing smile lifting the corners of my lips.

"It's fine…the old bag packed quite a punch but the only thing hurt was my pride, and that's no one's fault but my own."

"Bella," he sighed. My eyes closed as my breath stilled, praying with everything in me that this wasn't going to be the moment that my entire world collapsed around me.

"Yeah?" I whispered, too afraid to actually speak.

"I'm sorry. I acted like a complete imbecile back there. I should have been more focused on your feelings instead of my own stupid pride that I only succeeded in damaging even worse by acting like a gargantuan jackass." His arms tightened around my waist as he spoke and I heaved a sigh of relief at his words…and then giggled, apparently drunk off my relief.

"Did you just say _gargantuan_?" I chuckled, turning in his arms to see his face void of any humor, but overwhelmingly apologetic as he nodded slowly.

"Jackass yes…but I'm not sure about the whole gargantuan thing. That just sounds weird coming from you," I laughed lightly.

"I suppose I could have gone with behemoth, elephantine, colossal, or gone complete junior high and said super-duper," he joked back. I snorted and shook my head.

"Bella," he said, his voice completely serious, not a trace of amusement to be found. I looked up at him as his eyes closed and his head shook before they opened and focused on me, allowing me to see into the emerald depths that I loved so much.

"I can't even begin to say how sorry I am. I wish I could take it all back…make everything that happened this afternoon disappear somehow, but I can't. If I would have known that things would have gone this far over something that seems so trivial now, I would have just told them to start with and put up with all the wisecracks. I'm so sorry…can we…can I just do this all over? Please? It's not even about how it happened anymore…I just want the memory of the beginning of our lives to not be marred by my reactions."

The whole time he spoke he stared deeply into my eyes, imploringly, looking for answers, and pleading, begging me to allow him to fix whatever he felt had gone wrong. Up until the blow out, I hadn't found a single fault with how the start of our lives together began. Had that huge argument not taken place, I would have again told him that I didn't want nor need for him to make a second attempt, but it had, and suddenly I did. I needed it for both of us. I needed it for him so he could find whatever reprieve he was looking for in it. I needed it for me so I would know that he was asking me to marry him because he wanted me to be his wife, not because he was caught up in the passion while we made love.

"Okay," I said quietly, nodding slightly as I looked up into his eyes. "Okay," I said louder, causing a grateful smile to grace his face.

"But," I said strongly, placing a hand on his chest. His smile disappeared as he looked at me warily. "I have a few requests."

"Name them…it's the least I can do for messing all of this up so thoroughly," he said quickly, taking both of my hands in his as he held them against his chest. I half sighed and half laughed as I shook my head.

"Nothing over the top. I mean it," I said, looking at him sternly. "I don't want like banners being pulled by planes for everyone on the island to see, or some embarrassing public proposal that puts the spotlight on us or anything. Just us, Edward… please…that's all I ask, just us."

"I promise love…just us… and I swear I won't forget the ring this time," he chuckled as he bent down for a kiss. He pulled back with a contented sigh and tucked a flyaway hair behind my ear as he looked lovingly down at me.

"I know you wanted to be alone for a while, but they're gonna be ushering us out of here soon. Do you want to join the group again? They promised to behave," he said softly. I sighed and nodded as I stepped back and laced my fingers through his.

We walked slowly back over to the others, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I tried not to focus on the what ifs of our relationship, and only on the fact that we were here and together, and hopefully would still be together when my time here came to an end. From his apology and apparent desire to still want us to get married, I had to trust in us…trust in him, but still, the questions loomed over my head like a foreboding rain cloud, ready to burst and drench me in a torrential downpour of insecurity.

I couldn't stand where we currently were, stuck in this hellish limbo between happiness and heart fail. Had this been one of my literary tales, it was in this moment that the world would begin to crumble around my imagined characters. It was in this moment that reality would become too much for them to handle and they would buckle and fail under the pressure, but this wasn't one of my fiction based stories, this was _my life_ and I had to have faith that it wouldn't end the way I had written it so many times.

I didn't want the short story version romance. The kind that blazes hot and flickers and dies out quickly. I wanted the lifelong epic tale, the multi-volume unending story…the kind of romance that burns slow and deep, keeping you warm on frigid nights and providing light for you to focus on in your darkest moments. The only problem was the fire that burned between us had been blazing hot and out of control since the very beginning and had begun to torch everything around us. I wasn't sure if either of us could endure the inferno until it could be tamed into something we could sustain for a lifetime. I feared that in trying to contain it, we would end up burning not only ourselves, but each other as well.

As we approached the group, I couldn't help but notice Emmett's expression, lingering between nervousness and remorse as he shuffled in spot uncomfortably. It was as if he was expecting me to blow up at him, which was the furthest thing from my mind at the moment. Anything leading up to what had happened this evening was irrelevant. The only thing that mattered to me was what happened from here. If we would make it out of this entire debacle together, and stronger than we had been, or if we'd fall and buckle under the pressure.

I tried to act normally, forcing jokes about putting Ali and Rose in the stupid muu muus and hair curlers, and even tried joking with Emmett about his foot in mouth disease being more severe than my own, but they all fell pretty fairly flat. All my laughter sounded strained, even to my own ears, and it caused quite a few curious and worried glances in my direction. The truth was, the instability of the ground we were standing on was eating me alive. It felt as if we were balancing our worlds on a tightrope and I wasn't sure what the proverbial feather that landed on the pile and caused it to come tumbling down would be.

Was he really at ease now that everything was out in the open and there was nothing to hide? Would he be able to tolerate the jokes that would inevitably ensue at some point, or would they cause him to start stressing out yet again? I wasn't sure. The _only_ thing that I was still sure about was how I felt for him, and that he was the only person I could picture myself spending the rest of my life with. Everything else seemed to have taken up residence in some undefined gray area.

There were so many questions I wished I could ask, but I was unsure as to whether or not asking them would make matters worse. Would me asking him if he was really sure about marrying me, or if he was really ready for this step, _cause_ him to be unsure about a future together with me if he wasn't already? Furthermore, if I asked, would he even tell me the truth if it wasn't what I wanted to hear, or would he reassure me that it was, in fact, what he wanted even if he wasn't quite as sure as he had been just last night. The fact was, I didn't know, and without asking I wouldn't ever know, but at the same time by asking I ran the risk of implanting that seed of doubt in him that might not be there currently. It was this revolving carousel of thoughts that plagued me the entire rest of the night. By the time we made it back to the hotel I was thoroughly exhausted and wanted nothing more than to take a hot shower and go to sleep.

As we stepped off the elevator and parted ways, I realized that it wasn't just my relationship with Edward that was now on unsteady ground. Emmett and I now had an awkward distance between us with him seeming unsure of how to approach me, and me outright dodging his worried glances in my direction. Jasper's concerned eyes routinely drifted between both Edward and I which only fueled my anxiety. It was almost as if he could see the ground breaking apart beneath our feet. Rosalie and Alice, by the looks they were giving me, were sure to pounce on me at the first moment of privacy for the three of us, and I was entirely unsure of what to say to them. Would they even understand my concerns, or would I just end up sounding like a crazed lunatic? Would it even matter how I sounded if it relieved some of the anxiety I was feeling?

"Baby, are you okay? You've seemed kind of out of it tonight," Edward stated as we entered our room. I looked up at him and smiled faintly as I nodded.

"Yeah I'm fine…I'm just exhausted," I said, not exactly lying because I really was exhausted…just more mentally and emotionally than physically. "I'm just gonna take a quick shower before bed."

"Okay," he sighed as he nodded and caressed my cheek with his thumb. "I love you, I'm sorry for today. You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I love you too, I'll be out in a few minutes," I said as I leaned up to place a tender kiss against his lips before wandering off into the shower.

As the hot water streamed over my skin, I listened as Edward went through his nightly routine at the sink. It suddenly dawned on me that even though we weren't married yet, we had been basically living the lives of a domesticated couple. There wasn't any of that awkward new relationship nonsense between us. Here we were, one of us in the shower, the other standing at the sink brushing his teeth and shaving, the entire scenario something more suited to a couple that's been married for years as opposed to a couple that's been dating for weeks. It was ridiculous that I could be comfortable in that situation but somehow find myself incapable of _talking _to the man I loved.

"Love, I'm heading to bed. Do you mind if I turn the air up? It's kinda warm in the room," he asked as he stopped in front of the glass doors of the shower.

"That's fine…I'll be out in a minute," I replied as I squeezed some soap onto my sponge. He departed the bathroom, closing the door behind him and leaving me to my thoughts.

I realized that I had two choices in this situation. I could talk to him, air out my concerns and hopefully iron out any insecurities that we had, or I could say and do nothing and possibly watch it all crumble around us. If he was unsure about how fast we were moving, I wanted to know. I _needed_ to know, because I didn't want us to rush into this if it was possible that he would regret it later on in life. I needed to know that this was what we _both_ wanted, not just what I wanted. I fully believed that we could work through anything, but avoiding it wasn't going to be working through anything at all. If anything it would be making an even bigger mess of the entire situation.

_We can do this…we'll talk it out and decide what's best for us together. If he's worried that we're moving too fast, I'll reassure him that I can wait, that I _will_ wait, because I love him and I only want to be with him…_

With my resolve set, I stepped out of the shower thoroughly pruned and water logged, and toweled off quickly. I brushed my hair and dried it enough so that it was just damp and not completely saturated, and brushed my teeth quickly before stepping into the room wearing just a pair of panties and the t-shirt Edward had left me in the bathroom.

My face fell as I turned off the bathroom light and looked over to the bed. Edward was fast asleep, laying on his back with one arm raised above his head and only the sheet pulled up to his waist. I climbed into the bed, hoping he wasn't truly asleep, but that hope dwindled quickly as he didn't stir at all with my movements.

"Edward?" I whispered, running my hand down his arm at his side. He hummed faintly but otherwise remained still.

"Edward?" I voiced quietly, holding his hand between both of mine.

"Hm?" he murmured, pulling me down to his side and rolling slightly toward me.

"Can we talk for a minute?" I asked as I wrapped my arm around him and caressed lazy patterns on his back.

"Mmhmm," he mumbled, pressing his cheek against the top of my head. I took a second to gather my thoughts before speaking.

"You said earlier that I seemed to have been out of it tonight, and I have been. I'm worried, Edward. I'm worried about us, about whether or not you're sure that this is what you want, that being married to me is what you really want. If you think this is moving too fast, we can slow down. I love you more than anything and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but I don't need us to be married right away to know that you love me too. I know you do. If you're not ready for this, it's okay. I can wait until the time is right for both of us, until we're both comfortable with taking this step," I rambled quietly. The room was silent as I stopped talking and I tensed briefly, wondering if I'd said something that caused him to be so silent.

"Edward? Talk to me please…whatever it is we'll work through it. I promise even if you're not ready, I'm not going anywhere," I said, closing my eyes as my hand stilled on his back. Still there was no response moments later. My brow furrowed as my eyes opened and I twisted and pulled back just enough to see his face.

"Edward?" I asked, and sighed exasperatedly when I got no response.

"Well that's just _perfect_," I grumbled, eyeing in his peaceful sleeping face.

"Hm? Wha's perfect?" he murmured and I smiled sadly at his confused face as I pressed a kiss to his lips.

"You are," I whispered and then turned in his arms to curl myself into his embrace. His arms tightened around me as he nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck and hummed as he pressed a kiss to the skin there.

"Mmm…my perfect Bella," he slurred sleepily. "Love you."

"I love you too. Sweet dreams baby," I replied as I closed my eyes, a single tear escaping me, and resolved myself to talk to him in the morning.

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**AN: I just want to say thank you to all of you who have read/reviewed. I haven't had the time to respond to every review as I usually do, and I apologize for that. You guys have been awesome with all of the support you give me in writing this story ^_^ Please know that I do read all of them...usually when I have a down time at work... and I appreciate every single one of them. Much love to you all! Please don't forget to go and vote for your favorite stories, some of the deadlines are rapidly approaching. On behalf of myself and every other nominated author, we thank you kindly ^_^. Oh and REVIEW! LOVE YAS! ~Jersey~**


	22. Southeasters on the Horizon

**AN: Whaddup ppl? Sorry this came out so late...I meant for it to be posted earlier in the day but I didn't get around to finish editing it until late tonight. This chapter and the next one were originally one chapter, but once I hit about 15000 words...I knew I had to chop it in half. Next chapter should be out by Monday at the latest though...which is a good thing lol. Big thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I didn't get a chance to respond to all of them, sorry but I figured most of you would rather me work on another chapter than spend hours replying to reviews, but I did read all of them and loved every single one. Thanks so much for all the support you all provide ^_^ Love you guys to bits and pieces!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own these people...but I wish I did haha

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Southeasters on the Horizon

BPOV

Edward and I awoke the following day to almost an entire week filled with a chaotic flurry of activity. Any plans that I'd had to talk to him about my concerns flew right out the window with the pounding on the hotel room door that had awoken us that following morning. It seemed that while I'd fallen asleep with hopes of talking through everything and finding our way back to stable ground, fate had hopes of something entirely different. Or maybe it was still karma…I wasn't sure. Either way, whether it was fate or karma, it was a meddlesome force that I found myself unable to sidestep.

Somehow, Sunday morning, we'd managed to sleep through both the alarm clock on the nightstand and the alarm on Edward's phone, as well as the numerous wake up calls from Emmett and Jasper. How we'd managed to sleep that deeply was beyond me, but we'd managed it just the same, and it took Emmett banging on the door and hollering in the hallway to finally rouse us from our comas.

When Edward spotted the time on the nightstand clock, he'd flown straight out of the bed and started darting around the room, almost tripping over himself as he tried to tug his shorts on while hopping toward the door and yelling back to Emmett. I shot out of the bed right after him and darted into the bathroom to pull on my shorts from the day before, completely forgoing changing my top, and hurriedly brushing my teeth and hair before running around the room in a state of confused half awareness trying to gather all of our belongings.

After brushing his teeth quickly, Edward darted out the door, leaving Emmett and I behind to finish gathering all of our stuff, while he went to check out and settle our bill. To say that the air between Emmett and I was tense was an understatement. It surpassed awkward by a mile as we attempted to silently shuffle around the room, frequently doing a side to side mirror dance while trying to get around each other. By the time we found ourselves in our fifth awkward sidestepping tango, it was clear that we were both frustrated with the tension surrounding us.

"Baby girl, stop for just one minute," he said exasperatedly as his hands came to my shoulders. "I can't stand this suffocating silence between us anymore."

He plopped down on the edge of the bed and I sighed as I sat down next to him, "I can't either Em, but I just don't know what to say, and for once instead of spouting off some verbal diarrhea, I chose to just stay quiet."

"Little one, I'd rather hear your bouts of word vomit than nothing but silence. Hell I'd rather you screamed and yelled at me than not say anything at all to me," he said as he hooked one of his massive arms around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. I truly felt like the little sister in that moment, sheltered and almost disappearing into the side of my giant big brother.

"Why couldn't you guys just let it go? You saw how stressed out he was getting. Why'd you have to push?" I asked, looking up into his deep blue sad eyes.

"Let me ask you something. When Alice or Rosie refuse to talk about something, do you push them or do you let it go?" he asked and my face scrunched.

"That depends. If it doesn't seem like it's a huge deal I'll push them to spill, if it seems really important, well a bad kind of important anyway, I'll usually give them some space and let them come to me when they're ready to talk…especially Rosalie because she tends to need cool down time before she can talk through something major. Keep that in mind by the way…it'll save you a lot of grief in the long run," I replied, chuckling lightly with my warning.

"I'll do that. Here's the thing though kiddo, when it comes to Edward, we've learned over the years to work a bit differently. If something appears to be bothering him, we tend to push for him to talk about it because otherwise he won't. He has a tendency to bottle things up and let them fester, and it does more damage than good in the long run. If we had known it was something that private we wouldn't have kept bugging him about it. I'm sorry…really I am," he said sincerely.

"I'm not mad at you Emmett…not really. Though the way you yelled that shit was completely mortifying," I laughed softly, wrapping my arms around him so he knew I truly wasn't really mad at him.

"So if you're not mad then what's wrong? You can't hide it toots… you seemed kind of lost in your own little world last night," he said and I nodded as I grimaced slightly.

"I'm just confused by all of it. I mean, I just don't understand why it bothered him so much in the first place. Okay yeah…kind of embarrassing with everyone knowing about it and all, but is it really that big of a deal? The way he was stressing out just makes me think there was more to it than him simply not wanting you all to know all of the details," I told him, hoping he could provide some kind of input.

"Baby girl, if there's one thing you need to learn about Edward, it's that he overreacts… a lot," he chuckled, giving me a little squeeze before I pulled back and stood.

"Listen kiddo, I like you. I'm thrilled that you're gonna be a part of our family. If the way he was acting worries you, then talk to him. I promise he won't be as closed off with you as he can be with any of us. There probably isn't anything he wouldn't open up to you about if it was causing you concern." I nodded and lifted our bag off the floor to zip it up and he promptly took it to toss it over his shoulder.

"I tried talking to him last night, I thought he was awake but he slept through the whole thing," I grumbled.

"Yeah…once us Cullen men go down, we're down for the night," he said amusedly. "There isn't much aside from an atomic bomb that can get us back up."

"I'll keep that in mind for future reference," I said as I smiled at him. "Thanks Emmett…for everything."

"Anytime Baby girl…and remember, if he ever gets out of hand, just give me a shout and I'll put him back in his place," he grinned. I laughed and swatted his shoulder as we exited the hotel room.

It was amazing what little effort it took to get Emmett and I back into our familiar groove. Talking with him hadn't erased all of my anxiety, but I definitely did feel much better at least getting part of it out there, and I managed to find solace in his confidence that if something else was bothering Edward, he'd tell me if I asked.

The elevator ride and walk through the lobby was quiet, but the air wasn't tense and stifling like it had been prior to our little talk. By the time we made it out to the truck, my lighter spirits fell yet again as I saw Edward pacing in front of the truck, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand and holding his cell phone to his ear with the other. When he ended the call, his head fell back as it shook and his arm fell to his side. I immediately walked up to his side and rubbed his back.

"What's wrong?" I asked worriedly.

"This week's gonna be hell, love," he mumbled as he wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my neck for a minute before pulling away.

"Em, when you guys get back to the island, meet up with Kelly. Shit's falling apart back at the resort, she was rambling something about people not showing up for their shifts and guests getting pissed because whoever was supposed to be running the snorkeling excursion today called out or something with little warning, the boat wouldn't start, and god only knows what else," he said agitatedly.

"Where the hell are you going then?" Jasper asked and he grunted and shook his head.

"Esme wants all the porches of the suites painted before next week. I'm running to get friggen paint before I head back. No sense in making two trips when I'm already over here," he said and they both nodded.

"Do you want me to go with you?" I asked, hoping it would give us time to talk.

"It's okay love. Go back to the island with them, have some lunch and get settled back in. I'll be back before dinner I promise," he replied, leaning down to place a gentle kiss against my lips. I bit my lip to keep from pouting and nodded. I didn't want to push the issue and stress him out even more unnecessarily.

"Can you do me a favor though?" he asked.

"Sure," I replied as he held the door open to the truck for me.

"Do you remember how to get to the house?" he asked. My face scrunched up as I shook my head.

"I can get there. What do ya need Edward?" Rose asked as she turned in her seat.

"Can you bring her to the house so she can grab me some clothes out of my closet. I'm gonna have to work the bar tonight after dinner and I don't have anything clean left at the resort," he replied, looking between Rose and I.

"Sure thing…we'll go right after lunch," she said with a quick nod as she turned back around.

"Thank you," he whispered against my lips. I closed the distance between us and twined my fingers into his hair as he deepened the kiss.

"Mm…I love you. I'll see you in a few hours okay?" he asked. I smiled and kissed him once more and replied in kind before he trotted off in the direction of his car.

As soon as we made it back to the island, Emmett and Jasper dropped our bags off for us and made sure we didn't need anything before they took off to find Kelly. We changed and headed off to have lunch, where as expected, they dove right into asking me what was wrong. I told them the basics of my worries, feeling awkward about talking to them about something that I really wished to be talking to him about, and like Emmett, they both said that if it was bothering me so much then I should talk to him. Which aggravated me, because I was trying to talk to him about it, but the opportunity to do so seemed to constantly be just out of my reach.

We finished lunch and made the run to the house with the keys that Emmett had left Rose for one of the resort trucks, and I ran in through the garage to grab his clothes. I wasn't sure how much he would need, so I ended up grabbing enough to last him the remainder of the week just in case, and packed it all in a bag I found in his closet. When we got back to the resort, I unpacked his things in my room, hung his shirts so they wouldn't wrinkle, and refolded the rest and added it to the dresser with my stuff before heading off to the pool with Rose and Ali.

I started to get worried the later it got and Edward still hadn't returned. We hadn't seen Jasper or Emmett either since they'd taken off. By the time seven rolled around, and we'd neither seen or heard from any of them, Rose and Ali decided that we might as well get some dinner and then head back to the villa for the night. Alice called Jasper and he apologized for the three of them not being able to make it to dinner with us. I tried calling Edward, just to make sure he was okay, but he didn't answer…which set me on edge. I hadn't heard from him since we'd parted at the hotel, and I was really beginning to think something had happened to him. At least, that was until we stepped back out of the villa and spotted him flying past in the boat heading in the direction of the marina. We had barely sat down at the table with our food when a very filthy Edward came jogging up into the buffet pavilion.

"What happened?" I panicked, jumping out of my chair and rushing up to him. He had what looked like grease all over him. His hands, arms, clothes, hell even his face.

"Long story…got a flat tire on the truck, busted my ass trying to get one of the lug nuts off the damn tire that I swear someone welded on. Then a hose blew on the boat and it took me over an hour to rig it well enough to get it back here," he grumbled.

"Oh my God…are you okay though? I was worried about you, especially when you didn't answer when I called," I rambled, my brow pulled together in concern as his furrowed in confusion and he dug into his pocket.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry love, I didn't hear it while I was on the water," he said with an apologetic expression.

"It's alright. I'm just glad you're okay. Do you have enough time to clean up and eat?"

"No, I should already be down there. Did you stop by the house?" he asked as he led me back to my seat.

"Yeah, I grabbed you enough stuff for the rest of the week. Do you want me to bring you down a plate to the bar when we're done? You have to be starving," I offered, hating that he'd had such a shitty day. He smiled gratefully and carefully leaned in for a kiss.

"That'd be great. Thank you. Don't rush your dinner…I'll be down there all night," he said and I nodded as I tried to find a clean spot on his arm to caress.

"Have you guys seen Emmett or Jasper?" he asked. I shook my head as Alice answered, "No, but I talked to Jasper. He's at the bar down the beach and Emmett was supposed to be at the marina working on the boat or something. Wasn't he there when you came in?"

"He might have been inside. I didn't check. I just hopped out and came straight here," he replied as I sat down. He looked down at me with a hint of a smile on his lips as he leaned down, "That looks good…gimme a bite."

I chuckled and cut a piece of the citrus grilled chicken and speared it before bringing it to his lips.

"If you guys are still having trouble with the engine tomorrow lemme know. I'd be happy to take a look at it for you," Rose offered graciously as he knelt down next to me and pouted at me. I snickered and cut off another piece of chicken for him before feeding it to him.

"Actually…I know we said we weren't going to allow the three of you to help us this week, but with everything that's going wrong right now, would it be too much trouble to ask you all to help with the painting of the porches on the suites? There's no way we're gonna get it all done before the end of the week with everything else that's been dumped on our plates today," he said with a pleading tone, looking between the three of us uncomfortably. I kissed the top of his head and fed him another piece of chicken.

"We'll take care of it, don't worry about it," I whispered. He tilted his head up and pursed his lips at me as Ali and Rose both chimed in with their "Sure" and "No problem".

"Thank you. You don't have to push yourselves to do all of them…anything you can manage would be a great help," he said with a grateful smile.

"Okay I really gotta run. I'm not sure what time Emmett will be done, but it looks like Jasper and I are on closing duty tonight," he said as he stood and then looked down at me. "I should be in around two thirty or so."

"What time do you have to be up so I can set the alarm for you?" I asked, chuckling as he leaned down for yet another piece of chicken.

"Six at the latest. I have to get a new hose on the boat, especially if Em doesn't get that engine fixed tonight. We've got six groups to take out tomorrow for various activities…three that didn't make it out today because we had the second boat," he grimaced.

"Edward, you're only gonna get like three hours of sleep!"

"I know love, but I don't really have a choice. If anything, Jasper can take one or two of the groups out and I can try to catch a nap in the afternoon before working the bar again. It'll be okay baby…it's not the first time I've had to work like this," he said, trying to assure me. I eyed him concernedly, but he just chuckled and shook his head as he leaned back down.

"I swear Bella, it'll be fine. It'll be a crazy week, but it'll all work out I promise," he said soothingly. I sighed and nodded as I leaned in to kiss him one last time before he left.

"I love you," I whispered. He grinned and kissed my nose and whispered the same in reply before standing. He said a quick goodnight to Ali, Rose and I and bolted for the villa to shower and change.

"Jeez…who knew that this much stuff could go wrong in just two days," Alice muttered as she flopped back in her chair.

"What all is going on?" I asked worriedly.

"Oh man…so I talked to Jasper while you were both showering before we came here, and apparently Mike quit…left them high and dry for a bartender last night. Kelly had to have Jason come in and tend bar. Garrett's been here all day trying to get the boat started while Kelly had to try and appease the pissed off guests that had planned to be out on the water today. Then, Friday night, a group of guests got out of hand while they were having a little soiree in their villa over on the other side and completely trashed the place. Jasper said it looked like a damn bulldozer ran through the thing, and that's after some of the staff cleaned up most of it," she prattled, as I covered my gaping mouth with my hand. Both Rose's and my eyes were wide as saucers.

"You've got to be kidding me. Why would they do that?" I muttered as Rosalie silently shook her head.

"That's just the start of their issues right now. Mike wasn't the only one that quit. Kelly's been locked up in the office practically all day on the phone with possible new hires to get them back up to their staffing requirements, and begging some of the other employees here to work overtime. To top it off, when Esme had planned for this family reunion thing they have coming up, there were only a few other guests that were booked here aside from us. She requested that no other reservations were taken during that two week period…but someone apparently didn't get the memo. Now they're going to have to cancel reservations completely or offer complimentary services, upgrades, or even free nights for their inconvenience if they agree to reschedule," she said, rubbing her temples.

"Well that's it girls. I hope we packed some junkie painting clothes, cause we're finishing those damn porches for them. It's the least we can do since we've been staying here for free since the first week," Rose said, tossing her cloth napkin down on the table. I blanched as my eyes nearly popped out of my head at her statement.

"We've been what?" I muttered.

"The guys refunded the entire amount to Alice's credit card at the end of our first week here. We tried to argue with them about it, but they wouldn't take no for an answer. They said it was out of their hands anyway even if they hadn't wanted to do it themselves because Esme would never allow it…and they weren't kidding. I spoke to her the first night we all stayed at the house, and she was adamant about it. There was no talking her into accepting the money," Rose explained.

"Is there anything else we can help them with that you know of Ali?" I asked, hells bent on not letting them take everything on their shoulders.

"Not really. Jasper didn't say much aside from everything that was going wrong while we were talking. Our best bet would probably be asking Kelly if she needs help with anything. You know they aren't going to want us to do anything. I mean, you could tell how much Edward didn't want to ask us to paint the stupid porches…hell over high water they aren't going to want us doing anything else," she scoffed.

"Forget that…they can bitch us out later when they find out. I'll talk to Kelly in the morning and we'll try to do what we can," Rose said with an air of finality. "For now, let's just make them some plates and bring them dinner. We'll figure it all out in the morning."

With that, we all rose from the table and gathered some heaping plates of food to bring to the guys. We parted ways at the front of the buffet, Rose heading down to the marina, Alice heading to the tiki bar down the beach, and me heading down to the bar on the beach right in front of the buffet pavilion. I spent a while sitting at the bar, watching as Edward ran back and forth making drinks and serving guests while trying to steal bites of food in between. I wished there wasn't anyone down there so that he could just relax and not feel so stressed out.

I'd finally had enough when he had to drop his fork for the tenth time, before it even made it to his mouth, to grab someone a beer and I reached out to grab a hold of his shirt. "Sit and eat before you drop to the ground," I demanded as I pointed at his plate and stood from my stool to make my way around the side of the bar.

"Yes ma'am," he smirked, watching my steps intently as he pulled up a stool from behind the bar and sat down in front of his plate. I kissed his cheek as I passed by him and went straight to the cooler to get the guest a beer.

I stuck around for the next two hours until it seemed to slow down some and Edward forced me out from behind the sink where I had been washing the stacks of glasses in between fetching beers, since it was the only thing that didn't require mixing anything. It was nearly ten thirty by the time I made it back to the villa and joined Rose and Alice in the hot tub where I laughed at Rose's grease smudged forehead. Apparently I hadn't been the only one to lend a helping hand. At the very least, Rose had figured out what was wrong with the motor and told Emmett how to fix it in the morning when he could get the parts for it.

I climbed in bed around midnight and tossed and turned restlessly, worrying over absolutely everything until Edward shuffled in, dead on his feet, around three. I pulled myself up on my knees as he sat down on the bed and wrapped my arms around him to unbutton his shirt and peel it off of him before pushing on his shoulder to get him to lay down. I took his shoes and socks off, tugged his shorts down his legs and tossed them in the corner, and then pulled the sheets up over him. I think he was out cold before I even finished getting his shorts off as he was softly snoring by the time I curled into his side.

I laid there for another hour, my worries over his health and exhaustion at the forefront of my mind, surpassing my earlier anxieties by a landslide and driving me completely insane. As big as my need may have been to talk through my worries about our relationship with him, my need to take any amount of stress off of his shoulders that I could was greater. I reasoned that our talk could wait until things calmed down at the resort and returned to normal. He wasn't going anywhere, and neither was I.

Finally managing to settle my mind, for the night at least, I fell asleep sometime after four and only woke briefly to Edward's kiss as he left in the morning. When I awoke the second time just after eight, I shuffled out into the kitchen to find Ali and Rose sitting at the small kitchen table, looking downright haggard and practically chugging down coffee. I'm sure I looked no better as I poured myself a cup and loaded it with sugar and cream before plopping down at the table with them.

"I called Kelly this morning in the office," Rose said groggily. I stretched and waited for her to continue.

"So here's the deal. Kate's gonna join us today and we're gonna work in pairs," she said and Ali and I nodded.

"Two of us are going to paint, and two of us are going to clean the villas from floor to ceiling and stock them. We can switch off whenever…whatever," she continued, yawning at the end.

"What time's she coming?" Alice asked and Rosalie's head turned to look at the clock on the coffee maker. "Twenty minutes."

We rose from the table and shuffled into our rooms to dress for the day. Twenty minutes later on the dot, Kate arrived and our Monday madness began. Alice and I took to painting first, and stupidly enough, we both painted ourselves into corners, much to Rosalie and Kate's amusement. It didn't get any better from there either.

Kate slipped and busted her ass on the floor that Rosalie had just mopped on her way back in from scrubbing the patio furniture and knocked over the entire bucket of water, making a giant mess in the kitchen. Rose somehow managed to get glass cleaner in her eye, and Alice fell ass first into the paint tray while freaking out over a spider when we were painting the front rails of the porch. And this was all just in the first damn villa.

Because of Alice's painted ass, she was on permanent paint duty so she wouldn't get any inside the villas, so Rosalie and I switched when we moved onto the second villa. It just continued to go downhill from there.

I ended up hosing myself down when I turned the garden hose on outside to rinse down the patio furniture because someone had latched the little locking clip at the handle to keep it on. Kate got something caught up in the stupid vacuum and the entire villa filled with the stench of burnt rubber, and then the vacuum proceeded to attempt to eat her fingers when the back slid down the coffee table as she lifted the bottom, and the edge of the coffee table engaged the power switch. Rosalie got paint stripes on her back when she leaned against the railing while painting the steps, either not realizing or not remembering that she had painted the bars behind her before she sat down. Thankfully though, Alice made it out of the second villa unscathed.

By the time we made it to the third villa, and Kelly brought us food and bottles of water for the second time, we were all in foul moods. Rosalie blasted the stereo system in hopes of improving our moods, which it did…minimally. We finally called it quits after that one and headed back to our own sometime around six in the evening. I dragged my ass into my room to find Edward darting around, getting ready to run down to the bar for the night. He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of me, splattered with paint and grime from patio furniture, soaked in both water and sweat, and positively reeking of cleaning solvents.

"What in the hell have you been doing?" he bellowed, either shocked or angered...I couldn't tell.

"Painting…and cleaning," I said, lowering my voice at the end and then biting my lip.

"Cleaning what? Dumpsters?" he asked incredulously.

"No," I scoffed. "The villas…they needed to be cleaned and stocked. Kate joined us and we worked in pairs," I mumbled.

"Bella…I only asked if you three could paint…not kill yourselves," he nearly growled as I awkwardly twisted my hands together.

"We just want to help…" I started, but he cut me off.

"No, Bella. Fuck, I don't even want the three of you painting now if you're gonna run yourselves ragged like this," he ground out, gesturing toward my appearance as tears began to sting my eyes. I chewed on the inside of my lip and looked to the floor, unwilling to look him in the face as I tried to rein in my temper.

"Look love, it isn't fair for the three of you to work that hard when you're on vacation. I hated asking the three of you just to paint. You should all be relaxing by the damn pool, not breaking your backs," he groaned.

"Vacation Edward? You mean the vacation that we aren't paying for? When were you going to tell me that you all refunded our trip?" I asked as my eyes shot to his and narrowed.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" he wailed and I scoffed.

"Everything Edward. We've been staying here for free. I don't know about where you come from, but where I come from we earn what we're given. Nothing's handed to us for free. The least we could do was help you all out when you're obviously in desperate need for it," I shot back.

"Jesus Christ, I don't have time to get into this right now," he groaned as he shook his head. His eyes found me once again, hard and stern as he stared me down, "I'm having Jason and Garrett take over. Tomorrow the three of you are gonna do what you should be doing…relaxing."

"How are we supposed to relax knowing that the three of you are killing yourselves and not letting us do a damn thing to help?" I spat angrily as tears blurred my vision.

"Bella please…I can't sit here arguing this with you right now," he sighed as I sniffled, and he sat down on the bed to put his shoes on.

"Then don't. Just let us help. Today was kinda crazy, yeah I'll admit it," I said softly as I stepped toward him. "But we got the hang of it. It'll be fine. We can get the villas done for you and then it's one less thing for the three of you to be burdened with."

"Honey, I love you, and I'm grateful that you want to help," he said as he stood and ran his hands through his wet hair, matting it down as best he could. "But no," he said and then pressed a quick kiss to my nasty forehead. "I have to go. I'll see you tonight."

And with that he walked out, leaving me not only riddled with anxiety, but angered beyond belief as well.

It took a good ten minutes for the reality to set in that we'd just had our first fight, and it had gotten us absolutely nowhere. I trudged into the bathroom and drowned my tears in the shower, contemplating what good it would do talking to him about my worries when we couldn't even manage to work through something as simple as me wanting to help him. Where just that morning I had been resolved to talk through everything with him, I found myself wondering if it was just best to let him work through any possible issues he may have on his own, as my bringing them up may just make everything worse than it was already. It was a constant war in my brain, to talk to him or to just let everything run its course in whatever direction it was heading.

I tossed and turned yet again that night, managing to finally fall asleep after one, only to be woken up by Edward sliding into the bed and wrapping himself around me almost two hours later. I twined our fingers together, and held his arms tightly around me as I fell into a restless slumber with neither of us uttering a single word. I figured if he wanted to talk he would, but I wasn't about to start what could end up being a fight with him having barely slept the night before.

Tuesday I awoke to an empty bed, his side completely cold, notifying me he'd been gone for quite some time. I couldn't even remember hearing the alarm, much less remember feeling him leave the bed. I shuffled into the kitchen, made myself a cup of coffee, and went in search of Rose and Ali, who happened to be sitting on the front porch giggling up a storm. I jumped in response to a loud clatter followed instantly by a pissed off stream of expletives and spun in the direction of our old villa, cursing under my breath at the scolding hot coffee that splashed out of my cup and onto my hand.

"What the fuck Jason! Warn a guy the next time you're gonna just drop the end of a load of lumber! Shit dude…I think you broke my damn toe!" Garrett hollered as he gimped around in circles. I snickered and shook my head as I took a seat down on the steps. And that's how the three of us spent the majority of our morning, drinking coffee out on the front porch, watching Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber, as Rosalie affectionately named them, fix the porch next door.

After returning from brunch, Alice and I rounded up laundry for all six of us and headed down to the laundry center while Rosalie went to give the guys next door a hand…which they seemed to desperately need. While we were waiting for the clothes in the wash to get done so we could flip the loads, and talking about the fight Edward and I'd had the night before, my phone chirped with a text message. I dug it out of my pocket and flipped it open, praying it wasn't from Jacob, and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that it was from Edward.

**I give…we can't do it all on our own. I'm sorry, please help us. Are the idiots next door still killing each other? -E**

I snorted and rolled my eyes as I turned the screen toward Alice, to which she laughed heartily and told me I should tell him too late and ask him to bring a round of pina coladas to the laundry center. I clucked my tongue at her as I bumped her shoulder with my own and composed my response.

**Thank you…for giving in. And yes…last time I saw them they were, but fear not, Rose stepped in to save them from themselves. -B**

I sent the message and then smirked to myself as I opened up a new box and composed another message.

**BTW…I'm calling in sick today. Ali and I have a case of laundarrhea. -B**

Alice and I got up a few minutes later to switch the loads and then she ran down to the bar to grab us some drinks while I flipped through a magazine absentmindedly, once again pondering whether or not I should try to talk to him. The more I thought about it, the more confused I got. I had no idea what to expect when it came to his reaction. Yesterday I'd gotten a taste of a stressed out and pissed off Edward, and it wasn't something that I wanted to experience again any time soon.

I didn't get a response from my last message to him until nearly five. When my phone chirped, I peeled my cleaning gloves off and sat on the ledge of the tub I'd been cleaning and flipped it open.

**Sounds painful. Love the "Aunt Jemima" pic Kelly took. Thank you for helping. I wouldn't have blamed you for saying no after how I acted. -E**

Just as I was typing out a response, my phone chirped again and a second message opened on my screen.

**Have stuff to do at the house. Heading there now...I'll be there all night. Em's covering the bar. Will you be okay tonight? -E**

I sighed, dropping my hand and looking around the bathroom I was holed up in and tried to convince myself that his staying at the house for the night had nothing to do with our fight the night before. Pulling myself together, I lifted my phone back up and cleared out my previous words to type out a new reply.

**Glad you liked it...she thought it was funny. You're welcome, I'm glad to help. Try to get some real sleep tonight, I'll be fine. I love you. -B**

A few minutes later it chirped again and I opened it.

**I'll try, but it'll be hard without you. I love you too. I'll call you tonight. -E**

Tuesday night came and went without a call from him, and without him answering when I called him. I spent my night staring at my ceiling and worrying my lip raw, trapped in my thoughts until I finally passed out in the early morning hours of Wednesday. I was awoken just a few hours later by a sleepy Rosalie, wordlessly holding out a cup of coffee and my phone for me. She seemed about as thrilled to be awake as I was as I tried to focus my eyes on the phone. She mumbled a quick "voicemail" before plodding out of my room.

Listening to the voicemail, I was greeted with a groggy sounding Edward, voice thick with sleep and remorse as he apologized for not calling the night before and missing my calls to him, and explaining that he fell asleep on the couch downstairs when he only meant to sit down for a few minutes. As I listened to the rings and waited for him to answer, I struggled with bouncing between feeling horrible for his state of exhaustion and feeling hurt. I tried to chock my emotional state up to my own level of exhaustion, but lost that battle when surprise, surprise...the call went to his voicemail. I swallowed the lump in my throat and left a quick message, telling him good morning and I was happy to hear he got some sleep. I ended it by saying I hoped to see him at some point during the day and telling him I loved him before disconnecting the call.

"Are you ready Bells?" Alice asked, looking just as tired as I felt as she stood in the doorway. "We have to get the last four done today so we can pack tomorrow."

"Pack for what?" I asked confusedly, my brain was barely capable of comprehending a single damn thing anymore.

"We're bringing all our stuff to the house Friday so we can clean and paint this villa, that way they're all done for when their family comes in," she said and I nodded dumbly.

"Are you okay?" she asked, walking forward and sitting down on the bed next to me.

"Yeah," I breathed. "I'm just exhausted. I've been sleeping like shit the past few nights with everything that's going on," I said, waving my hand around in the air.

"Us too honey," she chuckled as she wrapped her arms around me. "Rose nosedived in her coffee this morning."

"Want some good news though?" she chirped, although it was only at less than half her usual exuberance.

"Sure...I could use a good dose of it right now," I sighed as I leaned into her.

"Tomorrow's the last day of hell. The guys are on vacation as of Friday," she said happily. I smiled drowsily and ghosted a single chuckle.

"Who's taking over for them?" I asked as she pulled away and moved to my dresser.

"Kelly hired a couple bartenders that she knows who used to work at that club we went to last week. Garrett and one of his friends are going to be taking over the activities shack until they hire and train some new people for it, and Jasper's doing the interviews this morning to increase their guest service staff," she replied as she dug through my drawers and pulled out some clothes.

"That's good," I said, nodding and standing to stretch. "They'll need a good vacation after this week."

I took my clothes from her and wandered off into the bathroom to change, and proceeded to spend the rest of my day working out my frustration by scrubbing villa surfaces and slapping paint on wood. With every hour that passed by without a call or text from Edward, my worries began to solidify. What was even more nerve wracking, was that when I called him, his phone didn't even ring. It went straight to voicemail.

Both Emmett and Jasper had called Rose and Ali numerous times throughout the day, and Jasper had even stopped by for a short while mid afternoon, and still no word from Edward. We finished the last villa just after six, and Jasper and Emmett offered to take us to Mezcalito's before they started their shifts down at the bars to thank us for everything we'd done for them. I passed on the offer, claiming exhaustion which was entirely true, but not the real reason I didn't wish to join them. In truth, I just needed to be alone to try and work through my thoughts. I showered and crawled into bed, curling onto my side and closing my eyes.

"Baby girl, you awake?" Emmett asked, in about the quietest voice I'd heard come from him yet. I sluggishly rolled over to face him and cracked my eyes open.

"Yeah," I croaked as he walked toward the bed and knelt down next to it.

"You okay?" he inquired softly, pushing my hair away from my face.

"Yeah, I'm okay Em. Go enjoy yourselves," I told him, bringing my hand to cover my mouth as I yawned after speaking.

"I'll have the girls bring something back for you to eat okay?" he offered, eyeing me in concern. I nodded silently as my eyelids slid closed again. He sat there for a minute before sighing and standing again. I listened as his footsteps slowly retreated and cracked my eyes open once again.

"Hey Em?" I murmured. He turned instantly and set his worried eyes on me yet again, "Yeah kiddo?"

"Have you heard from Edward today?" I asked, watching my fingers fumble with the edge of the sheet before looking up at him.

"No, I haven't talked to him since yesterday when he asked me to cover the bar for him last night and tonight," he replied hesitantly. I nodded and forced a smile on my face.

"Bring me back some of Diane's rice pudding? Kate was raving about it today and now I'm craving some," I said, forcing myself to keep the smile on my face.

"Sure thing baby girl. Love you, get some sleep," he said, standing in the doorway with his hand on the doorknob. My chin quivered as I swallowed the lump in my throat, but somehow I managed to keep the smile on my face as I replied.

"Love you too Em."

As soon as the door was shut, I rolled on my back and began staring at the ceiling again and the crumbling dam that had been holding everything back over the last two days broke free. Tears streamed from my eyes as I replayed everything in my head, and watched as he drifted away from me. The obvious defining moment had been our fight, as our interaction had been practically nonexistent since. No actual words said between us, just a handful of text messages.

What made everything infinitely worse was knowing how even though Emmett and Jasper had been working their asses off, they still managed to work in brief phone calls throughout the day, keeping both Ali and Rose in the loop with whatever was going on. I had basically nothing but silence greeting me throughout the last two days. I felt like an outsider, like an additional party that no longer belonged. I wished so badly that I could rely solely on his words, his beautiful words that had once blanketed me in comfort and security, but the fact was, if it was just the absence of his words I could manage the strain we were currently in, but it was his actions that were bringing me to lose faith in us. His actions, his distance, his avoidance... they spoke volumes.

He'd said he had things to do at the house. With everything falling apart at the resort, I couldn't imagine what could have been so important to tend to at the house. Much less what would hold him up there for an entire day while Jasper and Emmett ran around taking groups of guests out on snorkeling trips, parasailing excursions, and whatever else they were doing during the day before tending bar at night. And furthermore, how was it that he couldn't manage to make a five minute call from his house when both Emmett and Jasper were capable of managing that much while shuffling between all of their duties. I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and scrolled through our last messages once again, hoping I'd possibly missed something at some point, but unfortunately hadn't.

It broke my heart that the last words we'd actually said to one another face to face had been part of an argument. One that had gone completely unresolved at that. He'd come back to the villa that night and held me tightly to him, but hadn't uttered a word. No apology for just walking out the way he had, or for making me feel like shit for how I looked after spending a day busting my ass just trying to help him and his family. Not a single damn word, and then he left the following morning without so much as a whisper. It was as if he'd never been there to start with.

Then came his text message...with his apology. The thing was, looking back at it, I couldn't figure out what the hell he was apologizing for. Was he apologizing for what happened between us, or was he apologizing simply for being wrong in thinking they could handle all of it? I didn't know. I didn't have a friggen clue, because we hadn't truly spoken to one another since the damn fight. I was tired. Tired of the emotional wars waging within me constantly, and tired of not having a single answer. This was bullshit. Complete and utter bullshit.

I'd wasted two years of my life wallowing away in self pity. I'd already let one person make me feel like I wasn't enough, something that I'd always believed from the very beginning anyhow. I'd felt that way for years. I'd never been enough. I hadn't been enough for either of my parents, created as a last ditch effort to save a crumbling marriage. If anything, my arrival had caused it to fall apart even faster. I hadn't been enough for Jacob, merely just a way to pass time until the right person came along. I'd accepted that position once. I'd allowed myself to accept taking whatever small part of a person that they could give. I was not going to do it again.

Thoroughly fed up with all of it, I picked my phone back up and flipped it open to call him yet again. As expected, it went straight to voicemail. I ended the call and opened up the text window and composed a message.

**We need to talk. -B**

I sent the message and placed the phone back on the nightstand before curling up on my side once again where I fell into a restless and fitful sleep.

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**AN: **Huge thanks to everyone who voted for this story during all the award contests. It's still in the running for I believe one all human award where voting hasn't yet ended. I believe it's at the All Human Twilight Fanfiction Awards. Link on my profile. Check it out and see if any of your favorite stories are nominated on there.

So I viewed the stats page for this story today...and was blown away by how many people have this story on alert/favorites. It was seriously incredible and it's still climbing which is amazing. It's almost tied with my first story BTS on alerts. Thanks to all of you who follow this story. Leave me reviews! They motivate me to write ^_^ If we can break 200 for this chapter, I'll post the next one before the weekend...and I'm fairly certain it's one you all want ::wink:: LOL Much love to you all! ~Jersey~


	23. Stormy Seas Lead to Clear Skies

**AN: Well bummer...we didn't make it to 200... the final count was 127 just before I began uploading this to post. I'm hoping we can break that 200 mark with this chapter...hint hint. LOL. Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to review. I love hearing from you all. **

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Disclaimer: I don't own these characters...if I did, well let's just say I'd be off basking in sunshine rather than putting up with the idiots in my RL. ^_^

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Stormy Seas Lead to Clear Skies

BPOV

I awoke sometime around midnight to my stomach clenching painfully in hunger. I couldn't stop the frown that made an appearance on my face when I realized that I was alone in my bed. Alone, as in Edward wasn't there, and I didn't have the slightest clue where he was because I hadn't talked to him in two days.

With a heavy sigh, I rolled over and reached for my phone. A burst of excitement mixed with trepidation coursed through me as the phone blinked, alerting me to a missed event. I flipped the phone open as my pulse pounded in my ears and I stared at the screen notifying me that I'd missed five calls and a text message, both from numbers I didn't recognize.

I instantly opted to read the text message first, hoping that it would prepare me for whatever I'd hear on the voicemails.

**Why aren't you answering? I'm sorry...I don't know what else to say. Please, don't be mad at me. -Edward**

Confused more than ever, I entered my pass code into my phone and awaited for the automated voice to note the time of call and the incoming number. I had no idea what he was apologizing for, again. I wasn't sure if he was apologizing for not calling, for being distant, or for whatever it was that he'd said in the messages that I was almost certain were from him. Hell for all I knew, he could have been apologizing for something altogether different that I had no knowledge of yet.

I listened to the stupid automated voice, queasiness settling deep within my stomach as I both wished for the inhuman voice to shut the hell up as well as wishing for it to never end. If I didn't have to ever hear the message than maybe I could just resolve myself to ignoring everything that was going on until things calmed down and maybe everything between us would return to what it had been like just days before. Unfortunately, the stupid voice stopped and Edward's voice floated across the receiver.

"Bella, where are you? I stopped by the villa but no one was there and I don't have the spare key. I'm sorry I didn't call until now, but my phone's dead and I'm not even sure when it died. I've been looking for the damn charger for the last hour but I can't find the stupid thing. I have no idea where I left it. I miss you and love you, please call me when you get this. Bye."

_His phone died...his phone died? He couldn't get a hold of me because his phone died?? We're on an ISLAND for shit's sake! It's not like we're separated by thousands of miles...yet. It would have taken him ten minutes to stop by the villas this afternoon and find us!_

Irritated, I sat up and scowled at the floor as I listened to the next message.

"Bella, this is ridiculous. Where _are_ you? Don't avoid me just because you're mad that I didn't call. I was busy. I told you this week was going to be hell. Please don't make this any harder on us than it has to be. Just...call me, please. I don't care what time it is."

I scoffed down at the floor. _"Don't avoid me just because you're mad...Don't make this any harder on us than it has to be..." _

I hadn't even _done _anything yet...aside from scrub villas, paint porches, and do everything in my power to help ease a little of the strain _they _were feeling while our lack of communication and interaction ripped me apart, shred by heart wrenching shred. The idea of me avoiding him was downright preposterous. I'd been _trying_ to get a hold of him throughout the day, to no avail. I'd been _trying_ to find the appropriate time to talk with him about _us_ for days, but yet he was accusing me of avoiding him and making things more difficult on us than they needed to be. That pissed me off more than anything.

At the first hint of trouble in our relationship I could have hauled ass. I could have ran and hid myself away from it, but I didn't. I stayed. I stayed and I continued to be supportive and helpful while wrestling with my own mental and emotional anxiety, while he remained completely oblivious to my discomfort. And then to throw my efforts in my face, not once but _twice_...it really made me question what the hell I was fighting so hard to hold onto in the first place.

Yes I loved him, and yes I wanted to be with him, but I wasn't about to spend the rest of my life feeling like everything I did was in wasted effort. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life being supportive of someone and having them make me feel as though I was more of a nuisance than a worthy partner in our relationship. If these few weeks of being out of my hole had taught me anything, it was that I deserved better than that.

I'm not sure when, or even how it had happened, but somewhere in this tropical excursion, I'd made a bit of peace with myself and my imperfections. Flawed as I may be, I'd come to realize that the parts of me that I wasn't fond of, were just as much a part of me as those of which I admired. Together they made me who I am, and I realized that I was worth every bit of pride, happiness, and love that I'd always deemed my closest friends to be worthy of.

Gone were the doormat Bella days, willing to settle for second rate when it came to my relationships with people...whether it be romantic or otherwise in nature. I'd spent enough time putting myself down, I didn't need other people to do the job for me. I was a freaking master of it on my own, and it needed to stop. Now.

I calmed myself as I listened to the automated voice on the line and waited for the third and final message to start. Working myself up in anger wasn't going to get me anywhere tonight, nor would it get either of us anywhere when we did finally manage to speak to one another. What we needed was _not_ another fight. What we needed was a civil conversation, preferably in person and not over a phone, where we could sit down and talk through everything from beginning to end.

Hopefully somewhere in that conversation I'd find that my anxieties were unwarranted and he'd find that I didn't wish to be set aside when things around us got out of hand, because that's exactly what it felt like he was doing. Setting me aside, as if I couldn't handle the stress of enduring the situation with him. I didn't like the idea of having to sit idly by while he took the weight of the world on his shoulders. The notion was chauvinistic and belittling of my worth in my opinion.

The third message started, and I curled my leg up underneath me while I listened.

"Bella, answer the phone will you? I just talked to Emmett and he said you seemed upset about something but he didn't know about what aside from not hearing from me. I'm sorry. I told you my phone died. Please stop ignoring my calls. You're blowing this way out of proportion right now. Call me back please, before this gets way out of hand. I love you."

I rolled my eyes as the automated voice came across the receiver again, telling me I had no more messages. I ended the call quickly and looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was already twelve thirty and the text he'd sent had been at nine. I contemplated calling him for a minute or two before scrolling through the call history and selecting the number he'd called me from. I knew it was late, but he'd said he didn't care what time it was, and it wasn't like I'd be waking anyone other than him at his house. The phone rang at least a dozen times before I sighed and hung up. Either he was sleeping, not there, or he was blatantly ignoring my call. I didn't even want to contemplate the answer being either of the two latter possibilities.

I shut the phone and put it back on my nightstand as I stood from the bed. The villa was virtually silent, the only sound permeating the walls being the rhythmic waves crashing on the shore. It was both soothing and eerie at the same time, able to calm my frazzled nerves and set me on edge simultaneously as I tiptoed my way into the kitchen. I opened the fridge and saw a foil covered plate with a note taped to it and, what can only be described as a vat, of rice pudding sitting next to it. I pulled the plate out, wondering what was in it as well as who the note was from and set the plate on the counter before using the light from the fridge to read the letter.

_**Bella,**_

_**Fate works in mysterious ways my dear. Sometimes it must test the waters before it allows you to dive right in. Have faith sweetheart, and in the end all will be as it should.**_

_**Love Always,**_

_**Diane and Marcus**_

_What in the hell is that supposed to mean??..._I wondered as I pulled a bottle of water from the fridge.

_God his family is eccentric..._ I snorted as I put the plate back in the fridge, not wanting to wake anyone up with the microwave, and pulled out the tub of rice pudding. I went in search of a spoon and snuck back into my room.

A half hour later, fully engorged on the most delicious rice pudding I'd ever tasted, I tossed the empty container and spoon onto the nightstand and sunk back down into the bed. I wanted to stay up and wait for Emmett and Jasper to return from working the bar so I could ask them what they talked about with Diane that would have her write me that note, but unfortunately my exhaustion was still unbearable and sleep overtook me once again.

The following morning I awoke to the feeling of the bed sinking next to me. A smile spread across my lips as I rolled toward the new weight with my eyes closed, beyond ecstatic that he was here with me and tossed my arm over his side.

"Someone's having nice dreams," a deep voice chuckled and my eyes shot open as I yelped and quickly withdrew my arm.

"Emmett! What are you doing in my bed?" I shrieked as he rolled on his back and guffawed. My heart was racing in my chest as I tried to hide as much of myself as I could under the blanket, only leaving my nose to my forehead sticking out as I started to shake with my own laughter.

"Sorry baby girl. Rosie sent me in here cause apparently you like to swing when you're sleeping like the dead," he chuckled as I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"Was I really out that cold?" I asked, shielding my morning breath from him as I rolled back toward him.

"I almost did the mirror test on ya. Rose and Alice have both been in here trying to wake you. They finally gave up and sent me in," he said, amusement coloring his tone.

"I see you found Aunt Diane's rice pudding. Couldn't even save any for me? I was looking forward to some of that when I came in this morning," he teased.

"Sorry, I was famished. I'm sure if you called her she'd be more than happy to make more for you Mr. Midnight Sweet-tooth," I teased back as his grin faded.

"Why didn't you eat the real food little one? It would have been better for you than an entire tub of rice pudding," he said with concerned eyes.

"I didn't want to wake anyone with the microwave. It was after midnight when I finally woke up," I told him.

"Aw honey. You could have heated up your dinner. No one was here. Rosie and Ali were down at the bars helping us out all night. They came down at ten when I called them because we were getting slammed," he said and I grimaced.

"They should have woken me up. I would have gone down there to pitch in too. Why was it so busy anyway?" I asked curiously. The bars usually calmed down at that time, not picked up.

"You needed to sleep. You were exhausted. I told them to let you be because they'd both been worried earlier with the lack of sleep that you'd been getting. And it was busy because last night was Luau night," he replied and I nodded.

"Have you talked to Edward?" I asked hesitantly and he grunted.

"Yeah, saw him this morning as he was hauling ass down the dock. He seemed to be in a shit mood grumbling something about being late. I have no idea what the hell he was talking about. The clearest thing I heard from him was him yelling back to me, asking me to ask you to look for his phone charger here," he responded and my brow furrowed.

"It's not here...I unpacked our bag when we got ba..._oh my god_...Em, we left it at the hotel. I didn't think to grab it off the nightstand after he darted out of the room," I sputtered, quickly sitting up in the bed.

"Relax baby girl. I'll call the hotel today and ask them if the cleaning crew turned it in. If not, it's no big deal, we can just get another one tomorrow or something," he said soothingly. I nodded slowly, not really thinking about what he said, but instead, thinking of how if I'd just grabbed the damn charger off the nightstand, he would have been able to call yesterday. That thought was followed quickly with another that contradicted it by reminding me that he'd been at the house and he could have called at any time...he just didn't.

"Bells, quit thinking about it. It's just a cell phone charger, it's not the end of the world as we know it. Get dressed and let's go get some brunch before I have to hit the water with some more snobby guests," he chuckled as he lifted himself from the bed.

I nodded like a dumbass once again and untangled myself from the bedding. He slipped out quietly just as Alice was coming in to remind me that we had to pack everything up today so we could move it up to the house the following morning. With things being the way they were between us at the time, I wasn't really sure I should stay at the house with them all for the rest of our stay. If Edward and I couldn't work through this mess, I realized I'd have to consider either departing for Seattle earlier than I had intended to, or staying in one of the smaller villas on the other side of the resort for the remainder of our stay. It all came down, once again, to Edward and I needing to have a serious heart to heart.

I showered quickly and dressed, rushing through my routines so I could spend some time with everyone before Emmett and Jasper went back to working. I felt horrible about skipping out on dinner with them the night before, but with how exhausted I had been, playing the fifth wheel just hadn't seemed all that appealing at the time.

Brunch was uneventful, with the exception of Emmett piling a load of bacon on my plate, claiming I needed the protein to balance out the abundance of sugar I'd eaten the night before. His insistence just led to a bacon war at the table, with strips of breakfast meat being tossed back and forth between plates as we laughed, completely oblivious to all the questioning looks in our direction. If only the tension between Edward and I could be fixed so easily.

After brunch, we headed back to the villa and gathered up the clothes we'd all dirtied over the last two days and I headed down to the laundry center while Ali and Rose started packing. I had been taking clothes out of a washer and transferring them to a dryer when Kelly walked in with a package in her hands. I looked up at her questioningly when she held it out in my direction.

"Rosalie said you were here doing laundry. This came for you today. What is it?" she asked. I shrugged and took it from her when my hands were free and turned it in my hands to see the return address. It was from Angela. I smiled as I peeled open the package and peeked in. There was a folded piece of paper on top of a gift wrapped box, which I pulled out and started to read.

_**Bella,**_

_**You better nominate me for sainthood for getting this to you so damn early. I had to hassle the editing department for a straight week to get a copy of the final draft for you ahead of schedule. With that said, I accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, money orders, and spa passes (loaded with the works) as forms of repayment.**_

_**I took the liberty of having it bound and wrapped for you. I figured you'd want to present it as a gift. It's still undecided as to which cover we're going to go with, so it doesn't have the cover wrap yet, but I'll send one as soon as the decision is made. **_

_**I hope all is well out there and you're having a good time. Call me as soon as you get this. We have some details to go over regarding the upcoming book tour and appearances. **_

_**Talk to you soon,**_

_**Angela**_

_**P.S.- I was kidding about the repayment...though a spa pass with the works would be rather enjoyable, hint hint.**_

"It's from my publishing agent, Angela," I said as I folded the note and put it back inside the packaging, deciding right then and there that I'd definitely get her that spa pass. "It's an early copy of my next book for Esme."

"Oh man...she's gonna flip over that," Kelly snickered. I smiled and bit my lip as I looked up at her. I really couldn't wait to meet her, and I hoped that Edward and I would be able to work through our mess before she came home.

"You really think she'll like it?" I asked, somewhat nervously. Kelly scoffed and quirked a brow at me as she plopped down in one of the chairs by the folding table. "Like it? I'm pretty sure she'll love it."

I smiled, thankful for her boost of confidence and placed the package down on the table. A series of moments passed before Kelly cleared her throat and my gaze drifted up to meet hers.

"I wanted to thank you for everything the three of you have done over the last few days. I can't even begin to imagine the mess Esme and Carlisle would have come home to without you all giving us a helping hand," she said softly.

I smiled and waved my hand in the air, "It was nothing, really. I'm just glad we were able to help."

"I should really get going," she sighed as she stood. "Have fun with your laundry. I'm gonna restock the bars and then head home for the first time in almost a week."

"Remind me to tell the guys to give you a big fat raise. You've earned it in spades this week," I chuckled and she laughed.

"I'm sure they've already got something in the works. I'll see you around sometime next week," she replied as she backed away with a wave and then turned to head down the path.

"Enjoy your time off," I called out to her. She laughed again and spun around, hollering "Oh I will!" with a wink and a quick wave.

I called Angela just as she'd asked me to in her note, finished up our laundry, and headed back to the villa around one. By the time I got there, Rose and Ali were almost done packing and were scouring the villa for anything they might be leaving behind. I sorted out their belongings and left them on their beds before starting in on my own packing endeavor.

After everything had been folded and laid out on the bed, I hit my first dilemma. Should I pack his stuff in along with mine, or try to cram everything of his into his two bags that were here? I stood there, staring at the piles of belongings on the bed for what seemed like an eternity before Alice walked in.

"Hey Bells, Rose wants to head down to the pool for a bit. You want some help finishing this up so you can join us?" she asked and I turned toward her, still holding the lock of hair I'd been twirling in contemplation. I dropped it and forced a smile on my face as I shook my head.

"No, I got it. Thanks though. I'll meet you guys down there in a bit," I told her.

"Okay, don't forget to leave out clothes for tomorrow though," she said after eyeing the bed. "See ya down at the pool."

I groaned after she disappeared and glared back at the bed. Not wanting to add yet another thing to my list of ever growing contemplations, I quickly picked out a pair of shorts, tank top, and undergarments to toss to the side. I didn't bother pulling anything out of Edward's pile, figuring I probably wouldn't see him until the following morning anyhow. After all, he hadn't ever returned my call from the night prior, so it was highly doubtful that I'd see him before then.

Frustrated with the direction my thoughts were heading yet again, I stalked off to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. As I stood in front of the fridge, Diane's note caught my eye and I picked it up. I read through her confusing words again, hoping to find the true meaning behind them...which I didn't, but something in it did manage to catch my attention. She'd told me to have faith. Last night, in my mentally exhausted state, her note had done nothing but confuse me. Reading through it again while fully alert, it was clear she'd meant have faith in fate, that regardless of what transpired along the way, in the end things would work themselves out.

I wasn't sure how much I believed in fate at that point. A week earlier, hell _days_ earlier, I would have firmly believed in all of her ramblings on the cosmic force, but now I wasn't so certain. Whether it was fate, karma, or plain old free will, something had gone drastically wrong over the last few days, leaving us in a giant sinkhole of uncertainty and doubt.

_Ugh...this is ridiculous. I'm standing here contemplating the possible existence of a cosmic force and what influence it may or may not have had on our relationship when the fact is, it wasn't some cosmic shift in the stars or some shit that jacked us up. It was __**us**__. Crap...where's that vat of rice pudding when I need to drown myself in it? Oh that's right...I ate it all...dumbass..._ I thought wryly as I wandered back to my room and took another look at the mess on my bed.

Tired of contemplating the what ifs and unknowns, I started packing the piles of clothes, both mine and Edward's, into the suitcase. Diane had said to have faith, and until Edward and I could sit down and figure everything out, I needed to do just that. I needed to have faith that this was just a rough patch and we'd find a way to smooth it over.

I finished filling the suitcase and zipped it up before grabbing my bathing suit and heading into the bathroom to change so I could join the girls down at the pool. Just as I was tying the top around my neck, the front door slammed and my brow furrowed as heavy footsteps sounded through the villa. My pulse picked up instantly and I jumped to lock the bathroom door. I heard my bedroom door shut and then drawers being opened and closed rapidly.

"Where the hell's all my shit?" Edward's agitated voice groaned. I let out the breath I'd been unconsciously holding and quickly finished tying my top.

"Your clothes are in the suitcase, I'll be out in a minute!" I shouted toward the door. I threw my shorts back on and tossed my top back over my head hurriedly before stepping out of the bathroom where my mouth nearly hit the floor. Damn near everything I'd packed was once again strewn across the bed.

"What the hell Edward?!" I wailed, my arms raised at my sides.

"What? I'll put it all back. Where are my socks?" he inquired gruffly, barely sparing me a glance as he tossed more shit out of the bag.

"Oh for the love of God..._move_," I growled as I pushed his hands away, thoroughly pissed at the giant mess he'd made.

"Couldn't you have just tossed my shit in the bags so I wouldn't have to dig through all of that?" he griped as he stood impatiently off to the side.

"Yeah I could have, and looking back now I probably should have," I mumbled, fighting back the tears that were stinging my eyes. I found a pair of his socks and held them out wordlessly for him to take as I plucked his belongings out of the suitcase and dropped them on the bed.

He stood there silently, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as I kept my focus on separating our belongings and keeping my emotions in check. The air between us was so tense it was palpable and felt like a dense unmoving fog. The kind that sticks to your skin and remains unnaturally still even when try to move it by waving a hand through it. It was its own damn entity, crowding every possible inch of space within the room.

"Are you going to tell me why you've been avoiding my calls?" he asked suddenly, dragging my focus away from the air between us.

"I wasn't avoiding your calls..."

"That's _bullshit _Bella. I talked to Emmett last night. He told me that you were here and that you were upset about something. I called and called and you didn't answer," he spat, cutting me off. I spun toward him, incensed at his accusation and belligerent tone.

"No, you know what's bullshit Edward? Bullshit is you overreacting over a goddamn proposal. It was a little embarrassing yeah, but so the fuck what? Bullshit is you making me feel like shit for how I look after busting my fucking ass all day trying to help you. Bullshit is you sneaking into my bed and holding me at night after a fight, but then leaving at the crack ass of dawn without a word to me but then sending me a text asking me to help you with something you'd berated me for helping you with the day before. Bullshit is you accusing me of avoiding you when I was _sleeping_," I seethed, shaking in anger as I gestured erratically between us.

"Avoiding _you _was the absolute _last_ thing on my mind these past few days. I tried calling you yesterday, numerous times. I tried texting you. I didn't know your phone had died until I got your messages when I woke up at midnight and tried calling you _yet again_. If anyone's been avoiding anything, it's been you. Don't you _dare_ accuse me of that horseshit."

"I haven't been avoiding you either!" he shouted, tossing the clothes in his hands on the bed. "I've been busting my ass the entire week trying to get everything fixed and back on track. Jesus Christ, Bella. I spent all day yesterday running around like a chicken without a fucking head and spent half the night fixing a destroyed villa," he fumed as he paced the floor.

"Wait, you were here last night? At the resort?" I asked, partly confused and incredibly infuriated with that knowledge. He sighed exasperatedly and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Yes, I was here at the resort last night. I called you from my old staff quarters and waited until nearly eleven for you to call back before I went back to fixing the villa because I figured by that point you weren't going to call me back."

"So let me get this straight. You were _here_, at the resort _all night_, but instead of walking the short distance over here, you chose to _call me_?" I asked as I began pacing the floor angrily. Choosing to call me instead of just coming over to the villa didn't make a lick of sense at all to me.

"What do you want me to say Bella? I didn't come here because I didn't want to get into another fight like we're doing right now. I figured if I gave you time to cool off we could talk through this when you weren't pissed off and I wasn't stressed out and needing to be somewhere," he paused as he looked down at his watch, "in five fucking minutes. Shit," he grumbled as he stood from the bed.

"You're not seriously going to walk out in the middle of this like last time are you?" I spluttered incredulously.

"I have to Bella, I don't have a choice," he muttered as he pulled his shirt off, immediately replacing it with a fresh one.

"What do you mean you don't have a choice? Can't you ask someone to fill in for you for just a little bit? At least until what would have been the normal start of your shift?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him as he continued to change his clothes.

"There's no one for me to ask! Mike quit, Jason needs to be out of here by three, Emmett and Jasper are out on the water, and Garrett's at the second bar until Jasper comes back. That only leaves me to relieve him. You're acting like just because I don't get paid for this shit I can come and go as I please. It doesn't work that way Bella! My family owning this place makes what I do here a responsibility that I _can't _turn my back on! I'm not in a position where I can just call out sick whenever I have other things going on in my life that I need to deal with," he ranted furiously as he moved throughout the room and bathroom as he finished getting ready to leave.

"That's _not_ what I meant and you know it. How was I supposed to know he had to leave early? For all I knew you could have been using it as a damn escape from what's going on between us," I spluttered through my tears, heartbroken by his accusation. Did he really think so little of me that he'd assume I viewed his position so flippantly? As though I saw what he did here as a joke of some kind because he didn't get paid for it?

"Shit," he muttered, striding up to where I'd sunk down onto the bed in a sobbing mess. "I'm sorry, baby I'm sorry, don't listen to a word I just said. It just flew out of my mouth, I didn't mean it," he said frantically as I swatted at his hands as he tried to bring them to my face.

I'd had enough. Between the belligerent comments that belittled every effort I'd made, the walking out during a fight and later on acting like it had never happened, and the accusations, I'd reached my breaking point.

"Don't touch me Edward," I sniffled as I continued to block his efforts. With a frustrated sound, he dropped his hands but remained in his crouched position as I stood and attempted to compose myself.

"In the last two days," I paused as I hiccupped and futilely wiped away at my eyes and forced down the choking sob that was rising within me, "In the last two days, you've demeaned my efforts and willingness to help you and your family, and you've made me feel like shit for packing our things together instead of separately after I debated which was the right choice for a solid hour because after the last five days, I wasn't sure if I'd even be going with all of you to the house."

I stopped again as he took a step toward me and I shook my head at him as I backed myself into the dresser, knowing that I'd lose my ability to speak coherently with any type of close proximity to him. He stopped his approach, his face falling into a deep set frown as he looked down to the floor. I sucked in a breath and swallowed down the lump that seemed to have been stuck in my throat since we'd started fighting again.

"On top of that, not only have you accused me of avoiding you when I'd practically stalked your dead fucking phone but also of apparently unknowingly having the opinion that you carried the weight of your responsibilities here like a grain of salt." I'd hoped my voice would come out steady as I spoke, but it didn't. It wavered and cracked as I tried to hold myself together.

"Bella," he sighed and stood as I shook a hand at him and closed my eyes.

"Don't, really...just don't. I'm petrified that with the next words that come out of your mouth I might actually turn into the incompetent heartless flake you suddenly seem to think I am," I said with an unsteady voice as more tears emerged and spilled onto my cheeks.

"Jesus...I'm fucking shit up left and right," he groaned, sitting down heavily on the side of the bed. He sat quietly for a minute, appearing to be lost in thought before shaking his head with a deep sigh and grabbing my phone off the nightstand.

"Edward just go to work," I sniffled, wiping away at my face with the backs of my hands. "We can talk tomorrow."

"Hey Kate, are you still down at the bar with Garrett?" he spoke into the phone, disregarding what I'd said with a hand held up in my direction.

"Can you cover the main bar for me tonight? Something infinitely more important came up," he said, tilting his head to the side and locking his gaze on me. I quickly looked down to the floor as more tears welled up in my eyes and spilled over while he continued talking to Kate.

I wasn't sure how to feel about him asking Kate to cover for him. On one hand I was thankful that he wasn't storming out again without resolving a single thing, and on the other, I was infuriated by him doing exactly what he'd said he couldn't do when he'd ripped my damn head off.

"Come here love," he said softly as he placed my phone back on the nightstand and looked at me with apologetic eyes while waving me over.

"Edward you should really just go to work. You can _deal_ with me later," I mumbled, rubbing my face with my hands. If he really needed to go in than he should. Now that a big chunk of our issues were out in the open, it wasn't like we could avoid them in the morning.

"Bella, I didn't mean for it to sound like that, I'm sorry. You aren't something I ever have to _deal _with. Why would I have to deal with the one thing in my life that brings me happiness?" he asked as he turned on the bed. I shrugged and kept my eyes trained on the floor as I chewed on the inside of my lip. "

Will you please come over here now?" he pleaded. I sighed and pushed myself off the dresser as he tossed the suitcase on the floor and pushed the clothes out of the way.

I took a seat toward the edge of the bottom of the bed and turned toward him, still chewing on the inside of my lip and fidgeting nervously as tears slowly continued to fall. He sighed once again as his head began to shake and he reached out to grab my hand. He tugged gently, bringing me close enough to him where he could wrap his arms around me and pull me to his chest. Just as I had known it would, his proximity to me caused a sob to rip from my chest as he adjusted me so I was on his lap, straddling his thighs.

"Bella, I _don't_ think of you in those ways _at all_. What I said was hurtful and thoughtless. I'm sorry love...for everything. There's no way for me to even begin to tell you how sorry I am for damn near _everything_ I've said and done since we stepped out of that hotel room door Saturday afternoon." His voice was smooth and soft as he held me tightly to him, one hand smoothing my hair where my head was tucked into the crook of his neck, and the other caressing my side.

"Why would you say stuff like that though and act that way if you really don't mean it?" I spluttered and sniffled, trying to bring my hand that was squashed between us up to wipe away at my face.

"I don't know baby, I really don't. I guess I've just been under too much stress and then when I thought you were pulling away from me, it hurt so bad that I subconsciously felt the need to lash out at you. It's how I've always been. Whenever something's hurt me in the past, like my parents' death and walking in on Tanya with another man, I've responded with anger. It's no excuse for it by any means, but it's the only explanation I can give," he replied quietly as he started to sway us from side to side.

"You shouldn't do that Edward. It doesn't make the situation any better. If anything it makes it worse," I mumbled, rubbing my eye to try and slow the tears.

"I know honey. I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. Please believe that I never consciously meant to hurt you," he pleaded, his voice thick with emotion and cracking as though her were about to cry as he nuzzled my shoulder. I pulled my hands out from between us and wrapped my arms around him tightly as I nodded into his neck. We held each other silently, only occasional sniffles from either of us until we had both calmed and Edward broke the silence.

"Em said something was bothering you yesterday. Was it just that you hadn't heard from me, or was it more than that? We have to talk about this Bella. I don't want you leaving here with any doubts about us that can tear us apart when we're not together," he said as he rested the side of his face against mine.

"It was more...it's all been kind of building since Saturday night, and I wanted to talk to you about it, but the first time you slept through all of it, and then we woke up late, and then everything here at the resort went crazy and I never got the chance to after we got back," I confided quietly.

"I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere. Talk to me love, and don't hold back. I want to know all of it so there's nothing left for either of us to question," he encouraged as he scooted back and leaned against the pillows and headboard. I stretched my legs out and his instantly tangled with mine, nearly making it impossible for me to move.

With my head resting on his chest, his hand running through my hair, and our fingers on our other hands laced together, I began to talk. I told him absolutely everything, from start to finish. Everything I'd thought, questioned, and feared. Even everything I'd felt, and in turn he did the same. I found that although the majority of my anxieties had been far from what he'd actually been feeling or thinking, he'd had some of the same worries in regards to me. We'd both put ourselves through the emotional ringer thinking that the other person may not have actually been ready for the future that we both wanted.

The hardest part of our conversation came when we discussed the fights and the distance that had been between us for the last few days. Edward assured me that the only reason he hadn't called me the night he'd spent at home was because he really had fallen asleep on the couch, and that he only realized that his phone had died when he'd pulled it out to call me while running an errand the day before. When I asked him why he didn't just call when he got back to the house, he told me that when he'd gotten back to the island, he had come straight to the villa but no one had been there, or in any of the other villas. Unfortunately, at the time that he showed up at the villa, I had been asleep and hadn't heard him knocking at the door, nor had I heard my phone ring when he'd made it back to his staffing quarters, and I told him as much.

Amazingly enough, when we avoided tossing accusations around and saying hurtful things, we actually managed to talk through everything quite civilly. A few tears were shed, okay so _he_ shed a few tears, I shed _a lot_, but we made it through it in one piece and with only one interruption when Alice had come back to see why I hadn't joined them yet. She took one look at us, smiled sadly, and shut the door behind her as she retreated back to the pool.

"What do you say we get out of here tonight. Spend the night at the house alone, just the two of us? I'll make us some dinner, maybe we can go for a swim," he voiced just above a whisper after we'd been laying silent for a while, just soaking up the comfort of being so close to one another.

"That sounds perfect," I whispered as I tilted my head up to kiss his lips.

"Mmm," he hummed as he pulled back, opening his eyes as he traced the curve of my cheek with his finger. "How about you go take a relaxing shower while I clean this mess up?"

"I can clean it up Edward, you've been working hard all week. It's just folding clothes it's not really a big deal," I argued half heartedly. Honestly a hot shower sounded infinitely better than folding clothes.

"Not a chance love. I made this mess, it's only fair that I clean it up...completely," he said, his gaze _way_ too intense to be just talking about clothing. I nodded dumbly as he pressed a kiss to my forehead and moved to sit us up. I picked some clothes up off the bed and wandered off into the bathroom as he picked up the suitcase and began filling it.

I turned on the shower, putting it on the waterfall setting figuring it would relieve the tension in my muscles, and stripped as the water heated. One look in the mirror told me I looked a hot mess. Frizzed hair, face stained with tear tracks, red puffy eyes, and a swollen bottom lip from chewing on it...pretty much the works for an utterly disastrous appearance.

Stepping into the shower, I thought back to everything we'd talked about. The only thing we hadn't talked about in great detail was the proposal, or rather re-proposal that he'd been so adamant about before everything had gotten out of hand. I wasn't exactly sure where that put us at the moment, but I was beyond contented by the fact that we were still together and had worked through everything that had been bothering us. I felt like we were on even ground again. Stable ground, and that was all that was important to me. It didn't matter if he did or didn't propose again before I left. I knew how we felt about each other and how neither of us were willing to let the other go. That was enough for me.

I wasn't sure how long I'd been standing under the stream of water, doing nothing but thinking and enjoying the heat flowing over my skin, before a pair of strong arms wrapped around me and I yelped. I hadn't even heard that sneaky bugger come in the bathroom. He chuckled softly and turned me in his arms.

"It's not polite to sneak up on people when they're naked ya know," I chastised playfully.

"Sorry, but you were taking a mighty long time in the shower. I had to come see if you'd somehow managed to drown yourself," he teased back and I laughed softly.

"Bella," he sighed as his eyes closed and his hands trailed down my arms to my hands, only to open again as he brought my hands up to his lips. "I missed you. I missed hearing your beautiful voice and your laughter. I missed feeling your soft skin and warm touch. I missed everything about you baby," he said slowly, accenting his words with kisses across my hands and arms and up to my shoulders as he brought me flush up against him.

I kissed his chest, right over where his heart lay, and trailed a line up to just below his ear where I whispered, "I missed you too. Your voice, your hands, your lips, your everything."

He groaned and grasped my face gently and pressed his lips against mine, kissing first my bottom lip, then the top, and back to the bottom where he pulled it between his own with a gentle sucking motion. I whimpered as he released it and parted his lips, our tongues touching tentatively at first, teasingly, before gliding against one another slowly and passionately.

"Baby...love...I need you," he said in a husky voice between kisses before pulling back. "But before we go out there, I need to know one thing."

"Anything," I sighed, leaning up on the tips of my toes to kiss along his jaw.

"Are you ready?" he asked simply, pulling my face away gently to look deep into my eyes. My brow furrowed for a fraction of a second, not understanding what he was asking, but looking into his eyes I found my answer. He wasn't asking if I was ready to make love, or if I was ready to get out of the shower. He was asking me if I was ready for _us_, for our future together.

I leaned back up on my toes, nuzzling him with my nose and speaking softly against his lips, "I'll always be ready for you, for us...for forever."

A breath escaped him as his eyes closed and he reached around me to turn off the water. A moment later I was in his arms, being lavished with kisses from his lips as he walked us into the bedroom.

As darkness floated across my closed eyes, they snapped open in confusion and I gasped. The bedding had been turned down, the drapes had been drawn leaving the room dark enough to watch the candlelight flicker and dance around the room. The flames of nearly a dozen candles that Edward had lit on the nightstands and dresser. Moisture filled my eyes as I gazed around the room once more before focusing my eyes on his.

"Why did you do all this?" I choked out in a whisper. He walked over to the bed and gently laid us down, hovering over me as his arms wrapped under my shoulders and his hands came to the sides of my face to push my wet hair away.

"Because, my beautiful Isabella," he said, staring straight into my eyes, "I wanted this to be perfect. You deserve nothing less."

My breath hitched, realizing what he was about to do. When he'd asked me if I was ready in the shower, I hadn't thought he'd be doing this right away, nor had I ever thought this would be the way he'd choose to do so. Especially not after the way it had turned out the first time.

"Are you still ready?" he asked, trailing his nose up and down the side of my neck. I sniffled as I nodded and croaked out a broken "Yes."

"Good, because I've been ready since the moment you stepped in my life," he whispered before taking the lobe of my ear between his lips. I shuddered as gooseflesh rippled across my skin and my eyes closed. His lips worked a path down the side of my neck, tenderly, lovingly, _sexily_.

"There hasn't been a day...since I first spoke to you...that I've been able to think...about anything...but _you_," he said, his voice low and husky as he continued to kiss, taste, and touch every inch of skin in his reach, traveling across and down as he went.

"Every time I close my eyes...you're there... Every time I listen to the breeze...I hear your laugh... You're everywhere...around me... with me... part of me... always," he continued and I moaned softly as he worked his way down my body, all the way down to the tip of my foot.

"I love the way you whimper...when you first...begin to stir...in the morning," he started again, switching to my other foot and beginning his worshiping trail back up my flesh. "I love...that you unconsciously...shift closer...to me in the night...whenever I move...I live...to hear my name...fall from your lips...as you sleep...and I dream...of the way...you moan my name...when I kiss you...here," he paused as he swirled his tongue against the skin over my hip bone.

"_Edward_," I half moaned, half whimpered as I threaded my fingers in his hair. He hummed against my skin and kissed that spot once more, eliciting another whimpered moan from me.

"My Bella...my insanely beautiful...intelligent...witty...charming...humble...perfect Bella," he paused again, trailing his nose up and down the other side of my neck as his arms once again hooked under my shoulders and his hands came to the sides of my face before he gazed into my eyes, coming full circle to where he'd started.

"_You_, are everything I've ever wanted...everything I've ever needed," he voiced softly as the backs of his fingers caressed my face reverently and his hips shifted slightly against me. I wrapped my legs around his, my feet flat against the bed, holding him to me as I ran my hands up and down his back softly. He wiped away at the tears that had been flowing from the corners of my eyes and his eyes closed for the briefest of moments as he trembled when he gently rocked against me. I shifted my hips and whimpered as I felt the tip of his erection press against my entrance and his eyes opened and focused on mine once again.

"I love you, more than I could have ever imagined was possible," he said, his voice thick with emotion as he gently pushed into me. I brought my legs up slowly to wrap around his hips, my feet trailing over his skin softly, pulling him into me as my hands ascended up his sides and across his chest tenderly, coming to rest on the sides of his neck.

"I love you. You're everything I ever dreamed of...everything I ever hoped for." My voice trembled as I kept the sobs of complete happiness at bay. He closed his eyes and laced his fingers through mine, bringing them to the sides of my head and flattening our palms and fingers against each other and opening his eyes to meet mine again as he gently pulled back and pushed into me once more.

"Isabella Marie Swan, you are the very best part of me. Without you, I'm nothing. Will you please, do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he asked, and the sobs broke free as I nodded.

"_Yes_, yes!...my answer will _always_ be yes," I choked out just before his lips crashed down onto mine and his fingers laced together with mine and he squeezed my right hand. His other hand disappeared, sliding forward over mine and then back moments later, just as he placed one last chaste kiss against my lips and pulled his head back. I gasped and turned my head to the side as I felt the chill of something metal against the tip of my finger. His lips pressed just beneath my right ear as he slid the ring down to the base of my finger.

"This is where I was yesterday when my phone died...that's why I hadn't called throughout the day," he whispered as shuddering breaths came in and out of my lungs and tears streamed down my temples.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry," I sobbed. He shook his head and laced our fingers together as he peppered my face with kisses.

"I don't want you to be sorry...I just want to know two things. Are you happy, and do you like it," he stated as he pulled back.

"Unbelievably so and it's perfect. Every part of this was absolutely perfect," I replied through a mix of laughter and sobs. I honestly couldn't have ever pictured a more stunning ring. The solid band that came up and split into two separate eternity style bands, with channel set diamonds leading up to the round cut center stone, flanked by a row of sapphires on either side, was nothing short of perfection.

"Then I do believe I have a future wife that requires worshipping from her future husband," he grinned, his complete joy shining brightly in his eyes. And he did just that, slowly, _excruciatingly_ slowly.

Every thrust was measured and deep, every kiss scorching and languid, every touch gentle and unhurried. When we finally reached the peaks of our passion, we tumbled off into oblivion together, holding each other tightly in a silent vow to never let go.

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**AN: BEFORE YOU ALL START ASKING...1. A picture of Bella's ring has been posted in the TOF Image Album (link on my profile). 2. Why Edward chose to do what he did at the end?? If ya didn't catch something he said after their talk...then you'll just have to wait for the next chapter LOL. 3. For anyone that says it's too soon for them to jump right back into this...this story is already at novel length. It's been a whirlwind from the getgo...I don't see that changing before it ends ^_^. Much love to you all! REVIEW! ~Jersey~**


	24. Mezcalito's, Heirlooms, and Ducatis

**AN: What's this?? 2 Updates in 1 week? Le gasp! LOL. Okay so here's the deal. I'm posting this early (it was supposed to be next weeks chapter) because I'm unsure as to whether or not I'll be able to get the time to post next week. Anyways, I won't bore you all to death with the details of the chaos that is my RL at the moment. Enjoy the chapter!**

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Disclaimer: We all know by now that I don't own these characters, only the plot line. Characters belong solely to SMeyer ^_^

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Mezcalito's, Heirlooms, and Ducatis

BPOV

"Edward?" I voiced softly, leaning back against his chest on a lounge chair. We were completely naked and under a sheet from our recent round of love making, and watching the last of the sunset from the back deck of the house. I found myself repeatedly raising my left hand to watch the beautiful stones sparkle in the fading sunlight.

"Yes my love?" he murmured, placing tender kisses across the top of my shoulder. I sighed in content and turned slightly in his arms to look up at him.

"You're not gonna regret this again tomorrow are you? The way it happened I mean," I asked. He chuckled and kissed my forehead as his hand trailed up and down my arm.

"No, I'm not. It was perfect. It was perfect the first time...it just took me a while to see it clearly," he replied just above a whisper.

"What are we gonna tell everyone? If we'd talked about this the first time, we could have avoided nearly everything that happened," I said, scrunching my face up a bit. He shook with soft silent laughter as he shook his head.

"Well...we can either go with the truth, which isn't anything they haven't come to know anyhow, or we can tell them that I made you dinner," he paused to place a kiss against my lips, "We ate on the deck during sunset...We slow danced after dinner...I told you all the ways you complete me...and then we made hot, passionate love right out in the open." I laughed lightly as he pressed his lips against mine for the fifth time, and sighed as he tilted his head to deepen it. He chuckled as he pulled back and placed three chaste kisses against my lips.

"At least it's all true...we'd just be leaving out the detail that it happened _after_ the actual proposal," he said, shaking with amusement.

"For the sakes of the rest of your family, I think we'd be better off going with option numero dos...minus the whole outdoor lovemaking thing," I laughed.

"Second option it is then," he nodded, placing a kiss on my forehead and tightening his arms around me.

"Are you too tired to go for a little swim?" I asked as I looked toward the pool, and laughed softly at the sight of my shorts floating by the steps. The timed lights had all turned on around the deck, lighting up the water to a beautiful shade of blue, and in that moment, I wanted nothing more than to slip into the refreshingly cool water.

"Not at all. How about you grab a fresh bottle of wine and I'll clean up our dinner plates and then we'll go for a dip," he said and I nodded as I started to maneuver my way off the lounge chair to get dressed.

Unsure of where the rest of my clothing had ended up, I pulled on his button down shirt and simply crossed it in front of me, not even bothering to button it as he stood and wrapped the sheet around him. I jumped and yelped when he swiftly swatted my ass, his beautiful laughter filling my ears as he wandered off toward the pool to fish out my shorts.

I picked up our glasses and the empty bottle of wine from the table and made my way into the kitchen. After disposing of the empty bottle, I stood in front of the refrigerated wine cabinet, my hips softly swaying to the music and my lip caught between my teeth, as I tried to decide which bottle to choose.

"Edward?! Red or white?!" I called out loudly, and then froze as I heard the garage door leading into the house open and then shut, bringing in two unfamiliar voices echoing down the hall over the music.

"They may be adults, but they are still men, and I refuse to allow those sweet girls to walk into a pigsty," a woman's voice spoke warningly, the sound accompanied by the clicking of heels on the tiled floor.

_Shit! It's their parents!! _I looked around frantically as I crossed Edward's shirt tightly in front of me, trying to find someplace to hide, hoping I could sneak around them somehow and make it up to his room to put on some decent clothing.

"Esme dear, they're not typical sloppy teenagers anymore. They're grown men and they haven't been slobs for years. I assure you they've kept the house in order...okay fine, Edward at least kept the house in order," a deep voice amended quickly after the briefest of pauses. I bit my lip as I tiptoed my way toward the kitchen exit closest to the staircase.

"We'll see about that," she said, the clicking of her shoes coming closer and closer to the kitchen. I spun quickly as I started to retreat, realizing they were headed for the entrance I was closest to.

"Why hello dear," her voice called, halting my movements so quickly that I stubbed the ball of my foot on the tile and stumbled forward a bit. I grimaced and quickly replaced it with a brilliant smile as I turned on my toes to face them.

_Crap! Here goes nothing..._

"Hi," I squeaked abashedly, my voice coming out nowhere near as smooth and calm as I'd wanted and a crimson blush blooming on my face. She quickly moved forward, a brilliant smile upon her face, and sheer delight shining in her warm hazel eyes as I stood there awkwardly holding Edward's shirt tightly in place.

"You _must_ be Bella based on my son's description. I have to say sweetheart, his words hardly do you justice," she said, placing her warm hands on the sides of my arms. I blushed even hotter as I laughed nervously.

"Thank you. You must be Esme, I've been so looking forward to meeting you," I replied, trying to be as polite as possible.

"Bella love...can you please grab a couple of these dish..._oh shit_," Edward muttered just as something fell from his hands and shattered on the floor. Esme gasped as her head quickly turned in the direction of the sound, just as mine did. I heard Carlisle chuckle as I took a nervous step back.

"Ma, what are you _doing_ here?" Edward asked, his neck, ears, and cheeks bright red as he stood there awkwardly trying to balance dishes on one arm and holding his sheet up with the other hand.

"Edward Anthony, watch your mouth young man, and if you hadn't happened to have noticed, I live here," she chastised. I brought a hand up to cover my mouth, trying to hide my amusement at the entire situation as well as the look on Edward's face.

"I meant you aren't supposed to be back until next week," Edward muttered, his footing shifting in discomfort and simultaneously trying to hoist his sheet up higher.

"Esme," Carlisle chuckled, "Why don't we go put our bags away." She looked between Edward and I quickly and one of her hands came up to her mouth rapidly.

"Oh dear...I'm so sorry...We didn't mean to...Right...We'll just be in the den then whenever you're...," she sputtered, looking just as embarrassed as we were before hightailing it out of the kitchen, leaving an amused looking Carlisle behind.

"It's nice to finally meet you Bella, and please, do not allow this to make you feel..."

"_Pop_," Edward groaned. I snickered as he chuckled and winked before turning on his heel and disappearing.

"_Oh my God _that was embarrassing," I laughed, buttoning up the shirt and moving toward Edward to help him with the plates before he lost his sheet.

"Baby watch the glass. It fell when I had to grab the sheet before I lost it," he grumbled as I carefully stepped around each piece to take the stack of dishes off his arm. I took them into the kitchen and deposited them in the sink as Edward shuffled behind me, bunching up his sheet so he could watch where he stepped.

"I'll take care of this love. You go on up and get dressed," he said as he wrapped an arm around my waist. I turned in his arm and snickered softly at the sight of his pink tinged cheeks.

"I'll be right back," I smiled as I leaned up on my toes to give him a kiss.

I hurriedly made my way up the steps and dug through the suitcase for something to wear. Choosing a simple white top with capped sleeves and a pair of khaki bermuda shorts, I wandered off into the bathroom to clean up and change.

I couldn't believe I had just met his family for the first time, standing in the kitchen wearing _nothing_ but his shirt. Had something like that happened weeks or months prior, I probably would have _died_ of embarrassment, but with everything that had happened since Edward and I had gotten together...it seemed almost inevitable that it would have happened that way. We'd been walked in on more than once, been the targets of a ton of sexual humor, and had our very intimate engagement shouted to the world. Somehow, meeting them wearing next to nothing and probably looking thoroughly sexed up, just seemed to fit right in with everything else. If nothing else aside from embarrassing, it was entirely amusing.

"Oh good, you're dressed already. Do you feel up to going to Mezcalito's? The gang's all down there and Esme and Carlisle are heading there to meet them," Edward said as he came into his room, wearing only his shorts from earlier in the evening.

"Sure, that sounds great. Isn't Jasper supposed to be working the bar tonight though?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah well, Kate told him to get lost," he chuckled as he pulled a shirt out of the suitcase. "She told him he's been working too hard and sent him packing. She and Garrett are holding down both forts for the night."

"That was nice of her. I hope it isn't too busy down there tonight," I said as I stepped forward and started buttoning his shirt.

"Shouldn't be too bad. Most of the guests are probably starting to pack up to head home right about now," he responded as he dug through the bag for socks.

"So does that mean that you're all officially on vacation now?" I asked hopefully. He chuckled and wrapped me in his arms as he rested his chin on top of my head.

"That it does love. Assuming nothing goes drastically wrong again like it did this week, we should be in the clear for the rest of your time here," he replied, the relief clear in his tone. I sighed and hugged him tighter to me before releasing him.

"Are you just about ready?" he asked as he sat down to put his socks and shoes on.

"Yep, just need my shoes and I'll be ready to go," I said as I fastened the anklet I had purchased in town around my leg.

"You're not nervous at all are you?" he asked with a worried expression and I laughed.

"Honey...I just met your family wearing next to nothing. I'm pretty sure I can handle having a few drinks with them after that," I replied amusedly as he grinned crookedly and shook his head. I grabbed my pair of white wedge sandals and slipped them on my feet and then did a slow spin.

"Do I look okay?" I asked as he stood from the bed.

"I've never seen you look just _okay_, my love. No matter what, you always look nothing short of breathtakingly gorgeous, and tonight's no exception," he responded as he brought my hand up to his lips and kissed just above my ring.

"I love you Bella. I don't think you'll ever know how thankful I am that you're still here and still want to be with me after the way I've acted this week," he murmured, pulling me to his chest and holding me tightly.

"Stop, it's done and over with. It was all one big misunderstanding after another," I said sternly as I pulled back and grasped his face.

"Listen," I started, shaking my head as he tried to cut in, "We're going to make mistakes. It's inevitable. We may fight from time to time, and there's no doubt in my mind that we'll have our fair share of obstacles to overcome, but the important thing is that we work through whatever issues we face in the future _together_. I love you, with all my heart. There's nothing that a disagreement or even a nasty fight can do to change that okay?" I asked, gazing deeply into his beautiful emerald eyes.

"Okay, but for future reference, if I ever raise my voice at you again like that, I give you full permission to clobber me because that was incredibly uncalled for and you didn't deserve any of it," he said with a sorrowful expression.

"Edward, get over it. We're going to yell at each other at some point...but just think of how good the make-up sex will be afterwards," I smirked as I tried to step away. He growled playfully and pulled me back to him, crashing his lips into mine as I laughed.

"If it's anything like out back earlier...can we fight again later tonight?" he joked as he let me go. I laughed and swatted his arm.

"Let's go hornball," I snickered, grabbing Esme's gift off the nightstand to toss in my bag and leading him out of the room.

We ended up taking Edward's Ducati down to Mezcalito's, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Edward drove at a slow pace, often taking his left hand off the handle to twine with one of mine as he held it against him. It made me nervous at first, but I grew confident in his ability to control the bike single handedly quickly.

As we walked up the wooden plank path toward the giant hut, I spotted everyone sitting around a row of tables that had been pushed together, with only two seats remaining, right across from Esme and Carlisle. I could only hope that it wouldn't be tremendously awkward between us after our brief meeting earlier.

"There's my baby girl! It's about damn time you two showed up!" Emmett bellowed. Edward and I laughed as I waved to them. Esme and Carlisle stood from the table as we approached and she held her arms out to us. I figured it was for Edward, but came to realize differently when he gently pushed me forward and she wrapped her arms around me.

"I'm so thrilled to meet you sweetheart. I've heard so much about you," she beamed as she stepped back.

"Likewise," I smiled brightly, "Edward speaks very highly of you both."

"Hey Ma, it's good to see you back. I trust you two had a good trip?" Edward asked as he stepped forward to kiss her cheek. She smiled lovingly at him and patted his cheek. It warmed my heart to see the love between them.

"Of course dear. Though I wish we could have been here the entire time with all of you so we could get to know these wonderful women you three seem to have found," she said as Carlisle moved behind her to approach me.

I held my hand out to him and he took it as he leaned forward to kiss my cheek, "It's a pleasure to meet you officially, Bella."

"The pleasure's all mine," I laughed softly, feeling the heat rush to my face.

"Ma, Pop, why don't you two take a seat. We have something we'd like to share with you all," Edward said as he pulled me to his side. I grinned like a fool and bit my lip as I looked at everyone at the table. It was obvious that Rose, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper were trying to hold in their laughter and look appropriately unaware of what was to come. The looks on their faces were so comical I had to focus solely on the two other couples at the table in fear of cracking up hysterically.

"Baby girl's pregnant! Alright! I'm gonna be an uncle!" Emmett bellowed suddenly and I lost it as both Esme and Diane gasped.

"Emmett shut up. No she's not pregnant," Edward laughed as Rosalie elbowed Em in the chest and tried not to laugh. Alice had her hand in front of her face as Jasper hid his face behind her, but his shoulders gave away that he was laughing.

"Well what is it son? Spit it out, don't keep us waiting all night long," Carlisle said with an amused grin.

"Bella and I are getting married," he said, grinning down at me. I smiled back up at him and tried not to laugh again.

"That's wonderful!" Esme cried as she shot out of her chair and enveloped me in another warm hug.

"I wanna see the ring!" Alice squealed excitedly. Esme pulled back and gasped as I raised my hand, her eyes instantly filling with tears as they darted between the ring, Edward, and me.

"Esme are you okay?" I asked worriedly, putting a hand on her shoulder as she sobbed quietly.

"Oh sweetie, I'm fi..fine. I'm just overwhelmingly ha..happy," she hiccupped as Edward stepped around me to wrap her in his arms and tucked his head into her neck, murmuring something to her that I couldn't make out. I looked back at the table to see Marcus holding Diane close to him and seeming to be giving her comfort, Emmett and Jasper looking at me with odd expressions, almost wistful yet happy in appearance, and Carlisle moving to stand from his seat as he cleared his throat.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked in confusion.

"No, Bella. You've done nothing wrong. Why don't you have a seat and we'll explain," Carlisle said, giving me what could only be described as a comforting smile. I nodded and took a seat as Edward released Esme and wiped at his own eyes as he sat down next to me and took my hand.

"This ring, Bella, belonged to my mother," he said and I gasped as tears welled in my eyes. "I chose to give this to you instead of buying one that had no previous meaning to me because I couldn't imagine a single other person ever being as worthy of receiving it as you. There isn't a doubt in my mind that should she be alive now, she would have asked me to give it to you."

"You see dear," Esme started and paused to clear her throat and wipe her eyes as I looked to her, "That ring belonged to our mother. When Edward Sr. asked for her hand in marriage, it was given to him to gift to her. I have her wedding band, which was given to Carlisle when it was our turn to wed and will, hopefully, eventually be passed down to Emmett," she said, casting a glance at him.

I didn't even know what to think in that moment. For him to give me something that obviously meant so much to his family was...overwhelming. I was utterly and profoundly speechless, but I knew I had to say _something_ as tears streamed down my face.

"Thank you," I croaked. "There's no way I deserve something so precious to your family."

"Nonsense dear. From everything I've heard, I can't imagine him choosing a better person to give it to," Esme said as she squeezed my hand from across the table.

"Love you deserve this and so much more," Edward said as he guided my tear stained face in his direction, "You filled the void that had been a part of me since the day I lost them. For that alone you deserve everything in the world that I could ever possibly give you."

"Hey, how come you never told me about grandma's ring?" Emmett whined and both Carlisle and Esme's gazes shot to him.

"Because you were young and foolish and wanted to marry a twit Emmett, and you wouldn't listen to anything either of us said. I wasn't about to lose a family heirloom to that trifling little snot," Esme said as she shook a finger at him, earning a round of cough disguised chuckles from his family members at the table.

"Son, I still can't figure out what went through your head back then," Carlisle muttered, shaking his head.

"Well that makes two of us then," he laughed as Rose closed her eyes and shook her head with a small smile. I leaned into Edward as I tittered softly and ran my fingers under my eyes as he wrapped his arm around me.

"Okay, no more tears tonight. This calls for a celebration," Diane said suddenly as she stood from the table and darted behind the bar with Marcus hot on her heels. They came back a minute later with champagne and glasses as Ali and Rose came to our side of the table to inspect the ring.

"It's beautiful, congratulations," Ali whispered as she hugged me. I tightened my hold on her briefly as I thanked her before letting her go. She stepped behind Edward and wrapped an arm around him from behind and said something in his ear that made him laugh and nod to her.

"Oh Bella, I'm so happy for you," Rosalie crooned as she hugged me and kissed my cheek and then leaned over me to give Edward a one armed hug. "Take good care of her or I'll shove a stiletto heel up your ass."

"Rose!" I gasped as everyone laughed.

"What? I expect you to say the same thing to Emmett when the time comes," she smiled brilliantly. I looked to Emmett as Diane and Marcus passed out flutes of champagne and he winked as he laughed.

"Alright ladies and gentleman, raise your glasses," Marcus said as he raised his own. We all followed.

"To Edward and Bella, with each other may you find the love and happiness that lasts a lifetime. Congratulations on your engagement," he said with a wide grin.

"Salute!" Diane cheered, followed by a loud round of cheers as glasses were hoisted higher in the air and then brought to mouths around the table.

For the next few hours the table was consumed by lively chatter, the start of which revolved around the vaguely falsified details of our engagement. Carlisle and Esme shared details of their trip and some of the work Carlisle had done while they were away. In turn, they heard all about our time here at the resort as we indulged in champagne and _fabulous _homemade tiramisu that Diane had made. Edward stopped after his second glass of champagne and switched to drinking iced tea the remainder of the night, just as both Jasper and Carlisle did. Not wanting to get wasted, I sipped at my champagne but mostly stuck to drinking Edward's iced tea, much to his amusement when I refused one of my own.

"So Bella, what is it you do for a living? Out of everything we've heard about you over the last few weeks, your career seems to have remained a mystery," Carlisle implored amusedly. I bit my lip and fought off a chuckle as the table went eerily silent and Edward shook with silent laughter beside me.

"Um, actually I'm a writer," I replied nervously.

"That's wonderful dear. What kinds of things do you write?" Esme asked with genuine interest.

"Novels, fiction mostly although my first published work was somewhat more along the lines of a form of an autobiography," I replied and then took a sip of champagne, ignoring Edward's shaking.

"I'd love to read some of your work sometime, if you wouldn't mind. It's one of my favorite pass times. What did you say your last name was again? Edward are you alright dear?" she asked and I chuckled as Edward snorted and Emmett looked away and released a laugh that was a mix between a whine and a sigh.

"I'm fine Ma," Edward sighed and instantly started laughing again. "I'm sorry...don't let me interrupt you."

"Swan, my last name is Swan," I said as I elbowed him in his side.

"I haven't come across any of your works in the stores yet, but your name reminds me of this incredibly written book called "Death of a Swan" that I've read at least a dozen times. Such a heart wrenchingly beautiful tale of love and loss. Have you heard of it? I highly recommend it," she said enthusiastically.

"_Oh god...here it comes_," Emmett wheezed.

"Here what comes?" Carlisle asked in confusion.

"Yes, I've heard of it," I said, winking at Emmett, "Actually, I wrote it."

"Pardon? I thought I just heard you say that you wrote it," Esme said instantly, her face a mix of shock and confusion.

"I did...Marie Sanders is my penname. "Beneath the Surface" was my first published work. Speaking of which, I have a gift for you," I chuckled as everyone busted out laughing at the stunned look on her face. Even Carlisle was in a fit of laughter next to her as her mouth opened and closed repeatedly. I took the package out of my bag and gently pushed it across the table to her.

"This...this isn't possible. You're _so young _and I've been reading her books for at least five years now," she muttered, still shocked.

"I assure you it's me. Marie is my middle name, Sanders is my grandmother's maiden name. I was first published at nineteen, almost six years ago," I said as she looked between me and the gift wrapped box in front of her. "Open it," I encouraged with a smile and a nod and she tentatively began unwrapping it.

"Oh my...this can't be. This isn't supposed to be in stores until September," she murmured as her fingers ran over the foil embossed title on the cover.

"You have the first bound copy of it. My grandmother will have the first actual print that comes off the line," I said as her eyes shot up toward Edward and narrowed.

"You knew. You knew this whole time and left me to sit here looking like a sputtering fool," she accused as everyone laughed.

"Surprise," he chuckled.

"Hot damn!" Emmett laughed as he slapped the table. "Baby girl, thank you. I've _never_ seen my mother come unhinged like that. That was priceless."

"Oh Emmett, put a sock in it," she chastised playfully. "Bella, this is...beyond words sweetheart. Thank you so much," she said as she stood and stepped toward me.

"I'm just glad you like it," I snickered as I hugged her.

"Like it? Honey, I _adore _it. I can't wait to read it," she said excitedly. "Have you started working on anything else yet?"

"No, not as of yet, but I have an idea for a future work that I might start after the holidays," I replied as I gently spun the stem of the champagne flute between my fingers on the table.

"I'm sure you hear this all the time, but your work truly is beautiful. You have an astounding ability to capture raw emotion in a way that allows the reader to actually _feel_ what your characters do," she said enthusiastically and I chuckled nervously.

"Thank you, that's very kind of you to say," I replied, slightly embarrassed.

"Please dear, there's nothing kind about it. It's simply the truth," she grinned as Edward leaned into me.

"She's right you know...you are incredibly talented," Edward whispered in my ear. I bit my lip and elbowed him gently as he sniggered quietly and I looked around the table. Carlisle and Emmett were engrossed in some conversation regarding a new project Emmett was considering starting, Rose and Ali were talking animatedly with Diane and Marcus, and poor Jasper looked as though he was starting to fall asleep. Seeing him instantly made me think of how incredibly exhausted Edward must be.

"Edward," I whispered and he tilted his head down to better hear me. "Are you okay? I mean you must be exhausted after this week."

"I'm fine love, though I can't say the same thing for Rip Van Winkle over there," he laughed as Jasper's head bobbed and his eyes opened abruptly and scanned the table.

"Jasper sweetie," Esme cooed, "You're dead on your feet. Why don't you call it a night."

"I'm alright Aunt Esme," he replied with a drowsy grin.

"Nah, come on Jas...Mom's right, we're all pretty whooped," Em said as he stood from the table. We all followed suit and began our rounds of goodnights to each other. After the four of them departed for the resort for the night, Edward turned toward his remaining family.

"I think we're gonna head on out too. Aunt Di, Uncle Marcus, thank you for the desert and drinks," he said as he hugged Diane and shook Marcus's hand. I followed right behind him, thanking them and bidding them both goodnight as he moved to speak to Carlisle and Esme. As I stepped away from giving Marcus a kiss on the cheek I overheard Esme telling Edward that they were going to stay behind for a little while.

"Bella, it was a pleasure," Carlisle said as he stepped toward me and leaned in to kiss my cheek. I smiled and replied in kind as Edward laced our fingers together and Esme stepped forward to wrap her arms around me.

"Thank you so much for everything you've done here this week. Get some sleep tonight dear. We'll see you in the morning," she said as she rubbed my back and then kissed my cheek as she stepped back.

"You're quite welcome. It was the least I could do. Enjoy the rest of your night," I replied respectfully.

Edward and I gave one more wave as we walked down the wooden walkway and toward his bike. I quickly latched my helmet and climbed on behind him as he started the bike and wrapped my arms tightly around him. The ride back was just as peaceful, but by the time we pulled up to the garage, fatigue had definitely begun to set in.

"Do you need anything before we head up?" Edward asked as we stepped through the garage door into the house.

"No I'm good. It's been a long day, I just want to curl up with you and fall asleep," I replied. He nodded as he bent his head down to press a kiss against my lips.

"Mmm...me too. Thank you by the way...for tonight," he said as he pulled back and we made our way toward the stairs hand in hand.

"For what? I didn't do anything," I chuckled.

"For everything love, for accepting a future with me...again, for the gift you gave Esme...for just being you," he replied and then pressed a kiss to my temple as we trudged our way up the stairs.

"Well then, you're welcome," I laughed, pausing half way up the steps and slumping against the wall. "You know...I can completely see why you didn't make it up to your bed the other night. That couch is awfully tempting right about now."

"Just a few more steps baby," he chuckled, "We're almost there." I sighed and pushed myself off the wall and continued trudging up the steps with him. By the time we made it to the top landing I nearly collapsed just to kiss the even floor.

Edward quickly stripped down to his boxers and slid into the bed after hitting the bathroom while I tossed on a simple tank top with my underwear and ran through my nightly routine before slipping into the bed with him. It felt so good just curling up with him, having his arms wrapped around me and holding me to him. He kissed a trail from my shoulder up to the space beneath my ear and I turned slightly toward him and puckered my lips at him. He chuckled as he leaned in to press a gentle kiss to my lips and I sighed in content.

"I love you," I smiled as he pressed his lips to my temple.

"I love you too baby," he whispered as he tightened his arms around me and we drifted off into a peaceful sleep, completely wrapped up in each other.

The following morning, I awoke to find myself completely draped over Edward's chest and his fingers running gently through my hair. I smiled and hummed as I wrapped my arm around his side and squeezed lightly.

"Morning beautiful," he murmured. I turned my head, still smiling and voiced a hoarse "Good morning" back to him.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked, running the backs of his fingers down my temple. He looked the perfect picture of relaxation, resting against the pillows with one arm bent and tucked behind his head so he could look down on me as I nodded.

"Perfectly," I whispered. "You?"

"Never better," he grinned.

"What's the plan for today?" I asked as I stretched.

"Let's see...we could start out with this," he said as he scooted down and pressed his lips against mine. I chuckled and thread my fingers in his hair and his tongue traced my bottom lip slowly before he pulled back.

"Mm...what else did you have in mind?" I asked as I nuzzled his scruffy chin with my nose.

"I figured we could take a shower and join the family for breakfast. Then after that it's up to you. Esme came in a little while ago and said she and Diane are heading to the mainland later today to do some shopping and Carlisle's gonna get together with Marcus. I'm not sure what the others are doing though," he said and I nodded.

"Would it be selfish of me to want to keep you all to myself?" I chuckled and he laughed.

"Not at all. I'm pretty sure the others could use some time to themselves after this week as well. What would you like to do?" he asked as he wrapped his arm around me and ran his hand up and down my spine, giving me the chills.

"Can we go to your cliff?" I asked as my eyes closed and I shivered. He chuckled and flattened his hand as he continued to rub my back and pressed his lips against my forehead.

"Of course we can," he replied and I smiled as I tilted my head up to kiss his chin.

We spent a few more minutes in bed before hopping in the shower. I was almost afraid that we were going to run out of hot water as we spent more time kissing and touching each other than actually showering, but thankfully we didn't. The only problem was that we'd worked ourselves up to the brink of near insanity just before Emmett pounded on the door and yelled for us to get our asses in gear before the food molded. To say we were a little less than enthused to hurry up and finish washing and remove ourselves from the shower was putting it lightly. _Very _lightly. We dressed quickly and Edward tossed me on his back before literally running down the stairs while I squealed and laughed.

"Ya know you two...the honeymoon doesn't start until _after_ the wedding," Emmett laughed as we approached the table.

"Emmett, behave yourself," Esme chided as she smiled warmly at us. "Good morning dear. I hope you slept well," she said as she looked at me and Carlisle smiled up at us as he sat with his arm resting on the back of her chair.

"Good morning Esme, Carlisle. I slept very well, thank you," I smiled.

"Bella, you keep up that demure stuff and you're gonna give Esme a heart attack with your first bout of verbal diarrhea in front of her," Rose laughed and I stuck my tongue out at her as everyone laughed, and of course I blazed bright red.

"Sweetie, there's nothing she can say that Emmett hasn't already prepared me for over the years," Esme chuckled as Edward and I took our seats.

"Esme, tell me you didn't cook all of this just for us," I said as I took in the display of food across the table. Hell, there was scrambled eggs with peppers, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes, bacon, sausage, homefries, pancakes, french toast, and fresh fruit.

"Actually, that was all Carlisle," she tittered, "I haven't cooked breakfast in _years_. It's his specialty."

"That's because it's the only meal I can cook without being afraid of giving someone food poisoning," he laughed. "Please help yourselves to whatever you'd like. I wasn't sure what you'd all prefer so I made a bit of everything."

"Bells...you remember that little mom and pop diner we used to go to on Sundays as kids?" Rose asked as Alice started nodding and bouncing slightly in her seat.

"Yeah...Uncle Bill's right?" I asked as I plated up a piece of french toast and some eggs.

"That's the one...Carlisle's french toast blows that place's out of the water," she said as she pointed to the platter of french toast.

"Really now? I guess we'll have to see about that," I joked as I shot Carlisle a sly wink and he laughed.

"What do you guys have planned for today?" Jasper asked as he lowered his cup of coffee down to the table.

"Bella and I were planning on taking a trip on the bike, but we hadn't planned anything further than that," Edward replied and then popped a forkful of pancakes in his mouth.

"I was gonna teach Rosie to windsurf this morning, what about you?" Emmett asked as he reached across the table to spoon some more eggs and bacon on his plate.

"Ali and I were planning on just relaxing this morning by the pool, but I was thinking maybe this afternoon we could head down to the cave pool," Jasper replied.

"Oh hell yeah!" Em bellowed, earning a reproachful glare from Esme as Carlisle shook his head.

"What's a cave pool?" I asked curiously.

"Between the south and east sides, not too far from Mezcalito's, there's an underwater cave opening that looks kind of like a lake and leads out into the open water probably what? A hundred feet from shore or so?" Edward asked as he looked between Em and Jasper who were nodding.

"Anyways, you can only really get to it by ATV on the back side of it because there's no beach beyond it, it's all huge rocks. There's even small waterfalls from the pressure of the water in the cave tunnels being pushed up through the surface of the cliff there," he said with an excited grin.

"Wait, you guys actually swam through the cave?" Rose asked and they all nodded as Carlisle chuckled and Esme sighed.

"Yes, they did, and I could have killed them for it too," Esme said as she shook her head.

"Why? Is it dangerous?" I asked worriedly.

"It's not so much that it's dangerous, for an experienced person anyway, but these three numbskulls had no idea where it led or if it even _had _an exit. So there they went, probably seventeen or so, with limited gear and oxygen supply and next to no knowledge of what they were doing, and explored the damned thing without telling anyone what they were up to," she said disapprovingly.

"We made it out," Emmett shrugged, as if it was nothing. We just looked at the three of them like they'd grown a second head to which Edward ducked his head and used his hand to cover his amused grin.

"Yeah well just promise us that you won't be trying to convince the girls to swim through there. I highly doubt they're as daring and reckless as the three of you can be," Carlisle warned sternly.

"We won't...we're just going there to swim, maybe take a few jumps off the cliff," Emmett said with a wicked grin.

"Em, I'm not sure that vine can hold your weight anymore," Edward laughed.

"The vine's gone bro, I broke that thing last year," he chortled. "Took the least graceful spill ever known to mankind over the edge too."

"Idiot," Jasper snorted.

"How are you planning on swinging out then?" Edward asked.

"I tied a rope to a tree branch up there after I broke the vine. You can swing out further now," he grinned as I got up to clear our dishes.

"Just leave them in the sink dear. I'll take care of them before I leave," Esme said warmly. I smiled and nodded as I headed into the kitchen with Edward right behind me carrying platters of food from the table to leave on the counter.

"Are you ready to head out?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Yep, just need shoes and we can go," I replied as I turned in his arms and leaned up on my toes to kiss him.

"I'll get them. I have to run up there anyway. Do you need me to bring down a bathing suit for you for later?" he asked as he pulled away.

"Nope...I have one on under my clothes. I'm lazy and I figured if we were gonna end up hanging by the pool...it'd be one less trip up those damn stairs," I laughed as he rolled his eyes and leaned in for another kiss before heading for the staircase.

I returned to the table to wait for him to come back down as Em and Rose got up to clear their spots and head down to the resort for the morning, and Ali and Jasper began clearing their dishes as well. Edward came back down a few minutes later and handed me a pair of socks and sneakers. I grinned at him as he winked, knowing he was going to let me drive the bike again, and hurriedly put them on. After a quick goodbye to everyone, and plans set to meet up at the resort at two, we headed out.

"Do you want to drive up there?" he asked as he handed me my helmet.

"No," I chuckled, "I'll get lost...or crash on the trail."

"Good point," he laughed and I swatted him as he mounted the bike. I hopped on right behind him and moments later we were cruising down the path to the main road.

I had almost forgotten how beautiful the scenery was as we made our way up to the cliff, especially when the forestry gave way to scenic views of the beach. I had also almost forgotten how littered the off road trail was with rocks and ruts. As soon as he killed the engine, we dismounted and began our trek through the foot trail, hand in hand, and with Edward holding and lifting overgrown branches for me.

Much like the first time we'd been there, we climbed up on the rocks, only this time much closer to one another, and gazed out toward the ocean. It was just as peaceful and beautiful as I had remembered, possibly even more so. I snuggled further into him, trying to get comfortable but failing miserably. No matter what I did, my shoulder ended up being smashed against the rock.

"Here, sit here that way you can lean against me," Edward said, patting the spot on the rock between his legs. I smiled and quickly crawled over his leg and leaned my back against his chest. His arms wrapped around me and I rested mine atop his as he ducked his head down and rested his cheek near my temple. We sat that way quietly for a while, enjoying the serenity surrounding us, exchanging between gentle caresses and lacing our fingers together.

"You know...I don't think I'd ever been as nervous in my life as I was the first time I brought you up here," he said softly and I felt his smile against my temple.

"Never?" I asked as a smile crossed my lips.

"Nope, never...not even during recitals with hundreds of people watching my every move," he chuckled.

"I was nervous too," I admitted, "Nervous and scared out of my wits."

"Why?" he asked simply.

"I was nervous because the pull I feel toward you set me on edge in the beginning. I'd never felt anything like it before in my life, and I was scared because I wasn't sure what would happen if we got involved in anything more than friendship. It scared me to think that I could have been setting myself up for a broken heart when I left," I replied honestly.

"I felt the same way the night I met you, and the following day out on the water and at Mezcalito's, but the night I found you on the beach, I realized I couldn't fight it anymore. I knew I only had two choices, to take the chance to love you and be with you and see where it went, or to never know what could have been. For the record...taking that plunge into the unknown was the best decision I've ever made," he said as he squeezed me tighter.

"I'm glad you did. I don't think I would have had the guts to make the first move," I chuckled as he pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

"When are you planning on coming up to Seattle?" I asked curiously. If it was while I was on the book tour I'd have to make arrangements for him to either join me or to have a way to get into the house.

"Em usually heads back up the first week of September, as does Jasper, so I'll probably make the trek with them," he said and I nodded.

"I'll be on a book tour starting mid August and won't be back until just before Christmas. If you want to join me on it when you come up I can arrange to fly you in to wherever I am at the time," I offered.

"Sounds perfect because I don't plan on being apart from you for any longer than I have to be," he said as I looked up at him.

"When do you want to set a date for the wedding? I'm guessing it'll have to be next year sometime since we won't return to Seattle until Christmas, and I'd like to meet your family too. I somehow don't think showing up and introducing myself as your husband is a very wise idea," he laughed.

"No it probably wouldn't be a very wise idea. Especially when meeting my father for the first time," I snickered.

"Hm...what do you think about getting married here next summer? You know, where we met and stuff. I think a small wedding on the beach would be perfect," I suggested after a few moments of thinking it over.

"You don't want to get married in Seattle?" he asked and I shook my head.

"Chances are it would rain the day we got married, which would stink, but aside from that, I'd like to bring my parents here, and even my grandma if she's up to it. It's too beautiful for them to never see," I replied and he nodded.

"I'm sure we could arrange something here," he responded as he laced our fingers together.

"And just think," I snickered, "We'd already be in paradise for our honeymoon."

"Love, to me, paradise is wherever you are," he said and I rolled my eyes.

"Your such a cheese sometimes, but I love it," I laughed as I looked back up at him. "I love you."

"I love you too," he whispered against my lips. I sighed as our lips touched and I twisted into him as he deepened the kiss. His hand came up to cup my face as our tongues slid and twisted around each other as I reached up with one hand to the back of his neck.

We broke apart a while later and resumed our previous positions. I closed my eyes as he held my hands, his thumbs caressing the tops of them and occasionally brushing against my ring. Each time it did I smiled and opened my eyes to look down at it as it sparkled in the sunshine.

"I love the way this looks on your hand," he said, a smile in his voice as he played with the ring on my finger. "You have such dainty little hands, they're beautiful."

"They're _hands_, Edward," I laughed.

"Yeah, but they're _yours_, and I happen to think every part of you is amazingly beautiful," he retorted.

"Mm, I happen to think every part of you is rather breathtaking as well," I said as I pulled his arms tighter around me as we fell into another relaxing silence.

"We should probably start heading back," he murmured sometime later. I nodded as I opened my eyes and started to maneuver my way off the rock. I took one more gaze upon the landscape, in complete awe of how much had changed between Edward and I since I'd first laid eyes upon this cliff beyond the trail and smiled before linking my hand with his and following him back down the trail.

"Okay, before we head out of here and hit the main road, hop on and show me everything you remember about how to drive this thing," Edward said and I bit my lip as I nodded and climbed on. I spent the next few minutes reciting everything I remembered.

"Did I get it all...what? Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked as I looked up at him, my original question trailing off as I took in the expression on his face.

"Do you have any idea how goddamn sexy you are straddling my bike like that?" he asked huskily and my breath caught in my throat as I spotted the rather obvious enlarged bulge in his board shorts. I bit my lip as a rather tempting idea came to mind.

"I bet I can think of something sexier," I said, looking up at him coyly through my lashes.

"What?" he breathed as his eyes fluttered shut and then opened again as I dismounted the bike and slowly pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it to the side before undoing my shorts and shimmying them down over my hips and kicking off my socks and shoes, leaving myself in just my bikini as I remounted the bike.

"_God _Bella," he groaned as he stepped forward. "That image is gonna be burned into my brain for the rest of my life."

"Hm...not long enough. Guess I'll have to step it up a notch," I grinned mischievously as I pulled the strings on my back and neck and my top sprung free. I picked it up and dropped it off to the side of the bike and winked at him.

"Bella? Have you ever made love on a motorcycle?" he smirked and I shook my head.

"Me either...but we're about to," he said as he ripped his shirt over his head and untied his shorts, letting them drop to the ground. "Turn the other way and scoot up," he said and I did. When I was in position, he swung his leg over the bike and pulled me to him.

"You are the _sexiest_ fucking thing I've ever seen in my life," he nearly growled as he pulled at the strings on the sides of my bikini bottoms and pulled away at the fabric, tossing it to the side quickly as he crashed his lips into mine.

His hands were everywhere, touching me greedily as he devoured me with his lips and tongue. I broke away from him and moaned loudly when he slid my clit between his fingers. He licked and sucked his way down my neck to my breasts as he pressed two fingers into my entrance and worked his thumb against my nub. When he bit down lightly on my nipple, I could take no more.

"_Shit_, Edward," I moaned and panted as I reached between us and wrapped my hand around his shaft. His hips jerked, pushing him further into my hand as he released my nipple and moaned against my breast.

"_Jesus, _I can feel your ring against me...so good. Fuck that looks amazing," he said breathlessly.

"_Ungh_," I moaned as I looked down at my hand wrapped around his beautiful cock.

"Damn...I can't take anymore. Have to...be inside you," he panted. "Lean back."

I leaned back, bracing myself with my hands on the handles as he hooked his arms under my legs and lifted my hips as he leaned back just slightly and lined himself up with my entrance and sheathed himself inside me. His head fell back as I moaned and arched toward him.

"So beautiful," he breathed as he guided the movement of my hips so I was grinding against him. I lowered my back against the bike and let go of the handles and watched his face intently as I trailed my hands over my body. Down my midline first, then slowly up my sides, and finally to my breasts. I moaned loudly as I rolled my nipples between my fingers and my back arched again.

"That's it baby...touch yourself," he said in a breathless husky voice. "Shit that's fucking hot," he groaned as he switched motions so he was plunging in and out of me. I let go of my breasts and ran my hands down his forearms and his head tipped back as he moaned at the sight of my breasts bouncing in time with his movement of my hips. I whimpered as he brought my hips down roughly, and the tip of his erection rubbed against my g-spot.

"Damn love...let me hear you. I love those sexy sounds you make," he panted as he stood and pulled me further down the seat of the bike. His eyes trailed down to where we were connected, to where I was spread wide open for him, my legs still dangling over his arms. He hissed as his eyes closed and he slammed into me.

"_Shit_," I cried out in pleasure as he pulled back and drove back into me, our skin making a loud clap.

"Does that feel good Bella?" he asked, gazing at me with darkened eyes. I nodded as I whimpered and he plunged back into me.

"Tell me love...tell me how good it feels," he groaned, keeping his timed pace and forceful thrusts.

"_So good_...oh god...Edward, _please_...I'm so close," I pleaded in a mix of whimpers and moans. He'd had me on the edge since his first hard thrust.

"Come for me baby. I wanna feel you," he breathed as he increased his pace. I panted and whimpered and moaned beneath him as he leaned forward and trailed his mouth and tongue over the inside of my breast.

"_Oh god...Edward...shit...right there...mmm...ahhAHH_," I cried out as he bit down lightly on my flesh and I exploded around him, calling out his name repeatedly.

"Oh fuck..." he muttered as he stilled for a moment within me and then drilled into me hard and fast, hitting my sensitive zone with each thrust, sending me over the edge again as he slammed into me one final time and pulsed deep within me as he climaxed.

My left leg flopped down as his right arm dropped and he collapsed against me in a sweaty breathless heap. I brought my hands up to his hair and ran my fingers through his damp roots as I waited for our breathing to return to normal.

"You know," I teased breathlessly, "You have a filthy mouth...when you're turned on."

"It's all...your fault. You're too...damn sexy. Jesus, I can't...even move...that was so intense," he panted as he laughed and pressed his forehead against my chest, sending bursts of his breath across my upper stomach as I chuckled.

"Alright you succubus you...I think I can feel my legs again," he grinned as he lifted his head and I laughed.

"Does that make you an incubus? Cause if you keep fucking me like that, you'll be the death of me as well," I teased back.

"Ah, but what an pleasurable way to go it would be," he chuckled as he withdrew from me and stood and pulled me to him.

"Edward...that's gross," I grimaced and then laughed as he grasped my face and pressed his lips against mine as he shook with silent laughter.

"Come on love, we definitely need a quick shower now before we meet up with the others," he said as he pulled back and helped me off the bike to get dressed.

"Aw shit Edward!...How hard did you bite my boob?!"

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**AN****: What's your most embarrassing "meet the parents" moment? *snickers***

**Just a quick note...the reference to the succubus/incubus mentioned in this chapter is solely in regards the religious belief that repeated sexual encounters with the mythical legends may result in deterioration of health or even death, no other part of the beliefs/descriptions of the mythological creatures. Also, a picture of the cave pool will be posted along with the next chapter on the TOF image album.**

**Much love to you all...and review, Review, REVIEW! ^_^ ~Jersey~**


	25. AN Regarding Anonymous Reviews

**Whoa! Okay people...I have a simple request. If you're gonna ask me a question in a review, please don't post the review anonymously or with a tag that I can't respond to. This has been starting to happen a bit frequently as of late. With that said:**

**To the person who signed their review as **_**Twilight/The Host Lover**_**, no I did not stop reading The Host at page 40. If you read a little further into my story, Bella picks the book back up and actually says that once you get passed a certain point, it's really interesting. The Host happens to be one of my favorite stories and I re-read it frequently, only I skip to the part where Mel/Wanda gets to Jeb's cave system. I don't care much for the beginning part of the story, but aside from that it's a great read and I recommend it frequently to people I talk to. But thank you for calling me a dumbass LMAO. Just as you said, try reading past chapter 2 before you jump to conclusions okay? Thanks ^_^**

**To the person who signed their review as **_**Twilighter4life13**_**, I didn't have a specific inspiration for this story. Most of what I write is either a true or exaggerated version of something that has occured in my life. The idea for TOF just happened to come to me when I was thinking of things I'd done during summers while growing up or on vacations...like water tubing, wake boarding, snorkeling, fishing etc etc. I thought it would be fun to write a story where the 6 of them could enjoy times like that and fall in love at the same time. **

**When I started writing this story, a great deal of people thought my inspiration was the movie Cocktail with Tom Cruise. As embarrassing as this is to admit, I hadn't ever seen the movie at that point, but ended up renting it just to see what they were talking about. I actually cracked up watching it, because aside from Edward being a bartender (among other things at the resort) and the story being set on a tropical island, there wasn't much else that was similar between the two. Edward's not a poetry reciting, bottle twirling and juggling bartender trying to raise enough money to open his own bar with a womanizing best friend, and there's not going to be a pregnant Bella fleeing after finding him walking off with some strange woman only for him to chase after her later on LOL. Sorry folks...had that movie been my inspiration, it might have played out a bit closer to that story line. **

**Anyways, to everyone else, I don't mind anonymous reviews as long as you aren't asking something that you expect a response to. If you ever want to ask me a question, but don't want to leave a signed review, my profile lists alternate ways to get a hold of me. I'm always more than happy to answer questions, as long as you're not asking me to spoil some upcoming event lol, or just shoot the crap with my readers at any time. **

**Please do not review this author's note as the next chapter will be taking it's place hopefully sometime next week. Thanks so much! ~Jersey~**


	26. ATVs, Waterholes, and The Piano Man

**AN: Sorry this is so late peeps, I really meant to have this out to ya by Wednesday but RL and a massive case of the funks delayed it a bit. My bad. With that said, enjoy the chapter! I'm going to go flop my ass back down in bed and bury myself under the blankets until I have to go to work Saturday morning ::sigh:: **

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. We all know that by now LOL.

* * *

ATV's, Waterholes, and The Piano Man

BPOV

Edward and I quickly made it back to the house for a brief shower and change, and through the whole short trip, he apologized over and over again for the mark he'd left on my chest. I kept laughing and telling him it was fine, that _I_ hadn't even thought he'd bitten me hard enough to leave a mark, but he felt horrible and wouldn't let it go. It honestly wasn't even as bad as he was making it out to be. With how he kept apologizing and kissing it, you'd think he'd broken the skin or something rather than having left just a slight pink mark. A slight pink mark that was barely visible by the time we stepped into the shower nonetheless.

"I still can't believe I bit you that hard," he murmured remorsefully, yet again, running his finger over the almost invisible mark as I ran a brush hurriedly through my hair.

"Edward, cut it out!" I laughed as I swatted his hand away. "It's _fine_. It's not even like it's gonna leave a bruise or anything. You can barely see the stupid thing."

"Bella," he sighed as I put the brush down on the counter. I turned and wrapped my arms around him.

"Would it make you feel better if I bit you back?" I joked and he seemed to think about it.

"Maybe," he answered with a shrug and I laughed.

"Well too bad...we have to go or we'll be late," I chuckled as I grabbed his hand and led him out of the bathroom.

"Love, I could have really hurt you," he whined as I sat down to put my socks and sneakers back on.

"Edward," I sighed as I sat up from my hunched over position. "Come here." He stepped forward and I grabbed his shirt and quickly lifted the hem...and then I bit him. Right on his sexy ass hip bone just above where his shorts rested.

"_Bella!_" he yelped, laughing as he stepped back and yanked his shirt down.

"Did that hurt?" I laughed as he bent and lifted the shirt to see the mark my teeth had left.

"No...you just surprised me is all," he laughed as he released the hem of his shirt.

"See? Will you let it go now?" I asked as I stood and stepped toward him. "At the very least we can call it even."

"Fine, I'll let it go. Though I think we're far from even. I think you may have bitten me harder than I did you," he chuckled.

"Eh...you deserved it for all that unnecessary groveling," I teased as I stretched up to press a kiss to his lips.

I stepped away from him and grabbed a tank top to throw over my bikini top, tossed a hair tie around my wrist, and then pulled Edward from the room and down the stairs. When we made it back down to the bike, we wasted ten full minutes arguing over who was going to drive the damn thing to the resort. He wanted me to drive it cause he claimed it was "sexy as all hell", and I wanted him to drive it simply because we were running late already. Needless to say, he won after he pulled out the puppy pout, something I wasn't aware he'd perfected over the last few weeks, and he climbed on behind me. I secretly wondered if Alice had given him tips on how to use the pout efficiently as she'd been the master of the damn thing for as long as I'd known her.

Before taking off, Edward made me repeat everything I remembered and admitted that he hadn't listened to a damn thing I'd said earlier after he watched me swing my leg over to straddle the bike. I laughed as I went through everything I remembered and he nodded as he started the engine for me.

"Just remember to go easy with the clutch okay?" he asked as he pulled his arm back and wrapped it around my waist. I nodded and pulled the clutch in and depressed the gear before tucking my toes underneath it. With a steeling breath, I gave it a little gas and slowly released the clutch, and just like that we were off.

"I _told you _you were a natural!" he crowed from behind me. I laughed again as I gave it a little more gas before pulling the clutch in again and pulling up on my toes. There was a little jerk to the switching of the gears, but nothing too major.

The rest of the ride was smooth sailing, with Edward occasionally leaning back, I was assuming to look at the scenery rather than the road in front of us. By the time we pulled up to the resort, everyone was waiting for us on the steps in front of the main lobby. I parked the bike and killed the engine as Edward climbed off and engaged the kickstand for me.

"What took you guys so long? We've been waiting here for twenty minutes," Rose called out as I pulled my helmet off.

"Sorry, we had to make a trip back to the house to change," I apologized.

We followed them up to the buffet pavilion after it was agreed that we'd grab a quick lunch before heading out. While they'd been waiting for us, they'd packed a cooler and a bag of towels and had them strapped to one of the ATVs already. Because I was already on an adrenaline rush from riding in on Edward's motorcycle, I was nearly vibrating in anticipation to be hitting the trails on the back of a four wheeler.

Lunch was a quick affair with random bursts of excited chatter as we shoveled food in so we could be on our way. The guys seemed pumped up to be going to their "swimming hole" as Emmett had been referring to it as he told us a few short stories of the summers they spent on the island while growing up. The funniest story he told was of Jasper the first time they found the swimming hole, and subsequently the vine they'd found and used to swing out off a cliff and drop into it.

Apparently Jasper had gotten scared after swinging off the ledge and seeing the distance down to the water, slid down the vine accidentally, and ended up crashing into the side of the foliage covered cliff side. As if that wasn't bad enough, when he hit the wall, he ended up losing his grip on the vine and fell down into the water while "screaming like a girl". Jasper instantly admitted that he hadn't always been as adventurous as he had become later in life. According to Edward, Jasper had actually been quite the chicken shit when they were young.

"You guys ready to hit the sand and surf?" Emmett asked excitedly.

"Rosalie, I hope you know what you're getting into riding on the back of his bike," Jasper chuckled as he grimaced slightly.

"Oh I know...trust me I know," she laughed. "We went out this morning before hitting the water."

"And you loved every minute of it," Emmett teased with a cheesy grin that made us all laugh.

"I'm so lost," I laughed confusedly. "What are they talking about?"

"Emmett likes to...well let's just say that Emmett's akin to Evil Kneivel when he's four wheeling," Edward chuckled.

"Figures Rosalie would be his match," I responded amusedly. "She has a penchant for all things fast and dangerous."

"Do you trust me?" Edward asked as he swung his leg over one of two sporty bright yellow four wheelers as Rose and Em got settled on the other one, and Ali and Jasper mounted a red one that looked more like the four wheelers you see on hunting shows.

"In theory...why?" I asked warily, a bit of my previous excitement for hitting the trails fading with the wicked glint in his eyes.

"Because Emmett's not the only dare devil in this family...and I'm kinda itchin' to race," he said as he started up the bike. I bit my lip nervously as I looked between Emmett and Edward who were both grinning at me like a pair of madmen.

It wasn't a matter of whether or not I trusted my safety with him so much as I didn't trust my luck when it came to anything remotely dangerous. Then again, Edward had already put me on a crazily beefed up bike and so far I hadn't managed to kill either one of us.

"I'll make a deal with you. We'll compromise. I'll go along with this, but if I start getting the shit scared out of me...we stop," I offered and he pulled me into his side.

"God I love you. I swear I'll stop if you get scared," he grinned and then gave me a series of chaste kisses.

"WOOO! That's my baby girl! Damn this is gonna be fun!" Emmett crowed as he punched the air.

"Hey Bells...hold on tight," Rose grinned maniacally before pulling a helmet over her head. Edward handed one to me and I pulled it on before climbing on behind him.

"Okay Eddie boy...here's the rules," Emmett started as he pulled his own helmet on.

"Bella hold on..._now_," Edward said quickly and I did instantly.

"Hey Emmett! There are no rules!" Edward guffawed as he gunned it and took off down the beach. I barely heard Jasper and Alice's laughter over the roar of the engine and my own screech.

"Baby! Just remember to lean whenever I do and hold on tight!" Edward yelled, turning his head to the side so I could hear him. I tightened my hold on him and laughed crazily as he darted through a wave rolling up on shore and the spray soaked us.

I looked behind us and laughed as I saw Emmett leaning forward, trying his damnedest to catch up with us. They weren't too far off actually.

"They're gaining on us!" I yelled and Edward laughed as he gunned it again and leaned forward a bit.

"Hold on!" he yelled as he darted right and disappeared into a trail and slowed just slightly. I leaned with him every time we went around a bend in the rugged trail and held on tightly as I bounced behind him, laughing and shrieking my ass off.

"Bella, when I raise up, lift your ass!" he yelled. I had no idea what he was going on about, but a minute later he lifted up. I planted my feet firmly on the little plastic ledge and tried to lift up, but before I knew it, we were airborne and as soon as we touched down, my ass slammed down onto the seat.

"OW! God!...My ass!" I half cried half laughed.

"Sorry! Lift higher next time!" he yelled as I resisted the urge to rub my butt. Damn that hurt!

"You cock-suckin' butt monkey! You cheated!" Emmett roared, his voice just barely audible but Edward caught it just as I did and we laughed. A minute later, Edward cut left down a separate trail and I squealed as we went airborne again. That time I was quick enough to lift up before we touched down though, thank god because it was a lot higher than the first one.

He continued down the trail, both of us laughing at the sounds of Emmett yelling something and Rosalie's peals of laughter and excited crows as they slowly gained on us.

"Lean left hard!" Edward yelled as he slammed on the brakes and we slid sideways slightly around a bend before he gunned it again. I laughed hysterically as I caught sight of Em and Rose coming around the same bend and Rose shrieked.

"God this is fun!" I crowed and I felt Edward laugh.

"Love hold on tight! This hill is steep!" Edward yelled back to me. I tightened my grip and held on for dear life as he navigated our way down the hill, occasionally braking to slow our descent. At the bottom, he veered off to the left and followed a path through the foliage until we skidded to a stop, Em and Rose sliding in right next to us a few seconds later. My heart was thundering in my chest, pumping pure adrenaline through my veins. Hell I felt like I could run a marathon in that moment.

"Have fun eating our dust bro?" Edward laughed and Em gave him the finger.

"Whatever...if you wouldn't have cheated I _so_ would have whooped your sorry little ass," Emmett scoffed.

"In your dreams. We'll race solo another day and I'll cream your ass. I'll even give you a head start chump," Edward challenged.

"You two are retarded," Rose muttered as she rolled her eyes and hopped off the bike. "Isn't that shit fun as hell?" she asked with a wide grin, ignoring the bickering brothers.

"Hell yeah!" I laughed, pulling off my helmet.

"You wanna ride back with me baby girl?" Em asked as he repeatedly lifted his eyebrows at me.

"Yeah...I don't think so bro. I have no plans on being a widower before I'm even married," Edward cut in as he shook his head and pulled me into his side after I slid off the bike.

"Oh come on...I wouldn't do anything to get her hurt. She's my long lost baby sister," Emmett grinned as he rolled his eyes.

"Em...that's nasty. I'm not into incest," Edward laughed.

"Shut up dumbass. That's not what I meant," he retorted.

"Where did Ali and Jasper disappear to?" I asked curiously, not even hearing their four wheeler in the distance.

"They had to take the long way around. There's no way Jasper would have taken the trail we did. He hasn't ridden it since he crashed coming off that ledge we went over the second time," Edward replied as he dismounted the bike.

"He wasn't hurt was he?" I asked worriedly.

"No...not really anyway. A couple scrapes and bruises and a sprained wrist, but nothing major," he assured me.

"I _told_ him to gun it before he hit the incline, but he lost his nerve just before he hit it and all but tumbled over the damn thing," Em grumbled as he shook his head just as I heard the sound of their bike off in the distance.

"Crap...I have to pee," Rose said suddenly, shifting her footing awkwardly as she looked around. Emmett laughed as he lifted the seat padding on their bike and handed her a travel size packet of tissues.

"Somehow I knew it was smart to pack these," he laughed as she grabbed my arm and led me into the foliage.

"There's no poison ivy in here is there?!" I yelled back to the guys.

"No! Watch out for the snakes though!" Emmett hollered and we froze instantly with our eyes trained on the ground.

"Em shut the hell up!" Edward growled as he pushed him.

"Come on...he's just being an ass," Rose grumbled as she tugged on my arm. I kept my eyes focused on the ground as we trudged through the plant life for what seemed like forever. Rose finally found a spot out of view and she undid her shorts and squatted while I kept a look out.

I swear, no sooner than she could start pissing, did something fall straight from the goddamn sky and land with a light thud on the ground behind us, and I spun at the same time she did.

"SNAKE!" she screeched as she fell forward and scrambled as she tried to take off running, her naked ass hanging in the breeze as she hopped and wobbled while trying to pull her shorts up. I screamed at the same time and took off right behind her, quickly passing her by.

"Bella! Rosalie! Where are you?!" Edward's frantic voice instantly filtered through the woods followed by Emmett's booming laughter echoing off the surrounding trees.

"That idiotic fucker," Rose panted as we slowed to a stop, and because I finally realized what was going on, I bent over and laughed hysterically.

"You stupid asshole! I pissed all over myself!" She yelled into the trees, only making me laugh harder. I had tears flowing down my face from laughing so hard.

"Bella!" Edward hollered again.

"We're fine!" I tried to yell back to him through my fit of laughter.

"How did I end up with the retard?" Rose grumbled as she ripped the packet open and used a few tissues to dry her legs.

"Oh come on Rose...you gotta admit that was funny as hell. That even tops Alice's cousin making us think there was a bear outside the tent on that damn camping trip in middle school," I laughed.

"Yeah well, we'll see who's laughing last," she grumbled.

"Bella! Jesus Christ! What happened?" Edward shouted breathlessly as he barreled through the brush towards us.

"Em..." I trailed off laughing. "I think Emmett threw something at us...We thought it was a snake," I cracked up.

"God...I didn't know what to think when you two screamed. Are you guys okay?" he asked worriedly as he wrapped his arms around me and looked between us.

"At least you got one that knows how to act like an adult," she muttered.

"We're fine," I assured him breathlessly as I heard someone trudging through the brush.

"Emmett I swear to god if you come any closer I'll beat you with a stick," Rose growled.

"Come on babe...I'm sorry. You shoulda seen your ass take off though," he guffawed. I cringed and shook my head at him, waiting for Rosalie to explode.

"You stupid shit! I pissed all over myself! What part of that is funny?" she roared as she charged him.

"Ow, OW! Babe stop! I'm sorry," he sputtered frantically as he tried to dodge her swats as she continued yelling at him while Edward kept a protective hold on me, turning us every time they got too close to us.

"You're an ass," she finally spat, panting and worn out from chasing him around and then stormed off in the direction of the bikes. Em shot a look at me and then made to follow her.

"Em stop, I'll go after her. Just give her some time to cool off. She'll be fine," I said as I stepped away from Edward. He sighed and nodded and I jogged off after her.

"Rose! Rosalie wait up!" I yelled, but she kept going. I growled and picked up my pace until I caught up with her.

"You okay?" I asked, scurrying to keep up with her long strides.

"I'm fine," she said and smirked.

"What the hell was all that about then?" I asked confusedly.

"Just teaching him a lesson Bells," she said as her smirk grew into a grin. "Come on, help me find a place to rinse off," she said as she linked her arm with mine. I laughed and shook my head as I fell into step with her.

"Hey Jasper, is there a close trail that leads down to the beach beyond the rocks?" she asked as we broke through the trees and spotted Ali and him sitting on their bike.

"No, not a close one. You can get to the beach by crossing the rocks if you're really careful though. Why?" he asked curiously.

"Cause I have to rinse my clothes off since Emmett decided to play a joke on us while I was pissing in the woods," she snickered and he shook his head as she tossed him the packet of tissues.

"Got ya with the old snake vine prank huh?" he asked with an amused grin as Alice looked confused. He told us the only way to get to the beach was by crossing the rocks on the cliff side and pointed us in the direction of the cave pool as she kept right on walking.

"We'll tell ya later," I whisper yelled to Ali and she nodded and we passed them, heading in the direction he'd pointed in.

After a short stroll down the path, we stepped out of the trail shaded by the canopy of tree tops, and Rose and I both stopped short as we gasped.

"That's some swimming hole," I deadpanned and she laughed.

It was _huge_. Even with Edward's brief description, neither of us were prepared for the beauty of the thing. The water was bright blue in the shallow end by where we stood, but completely black from a few feet in all the way to the opposite end where the ocean waves were breaking against the rocks. A massive cliff bordered the backside with numerous waterfalls, some flowing heavier than others. It was _amazing_.

"Let's get this over with," she said and I followed behind her along the narrow path between the steeply inclining dense forestry and the cave's edge.

"Ooh shit...Bella be careful. These rocks are slippery," Rose warned right after she almost slid off one. I nodded as I carefully placed my foot on the next rock and tried to balance myself as I pushed myself forward.

We'd made it about three quarters of the way, carefully avoiding the waves as they broke over the rocks, and we could see the beach ahead of us when it finally happened. I stepped on a slimy ass rock and slid right off with a shriek, my foot landing in an ankle deep tide pool between the rocks.

"Aww hell," I groaned as Rosalie laughed at the sight of me pulling my sopping wet socked foot, sans sneaker, out of the hole. I knelt down to fish my sneaker out as she backtracked toward me, still laughing.

"Shit! Bella brace yourself!" she yelled suddenly as she dropped down onto the rocks. My head spun to the right just in time to see the massive swell breaking right next to me. I barely managed to squeak before it soaked me from head to toe. As the water receded, I quickly looked over to check on Rose. Luckily she seemed to have only gotten slightly wet even though her sneakers were now soaked as well.

"Damnit," I muttered as I pushed my hair out of my face. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"I have no idea, but grab your damn shoe...there's another one a few crests back rolling in," she said hurriedly as she scurried to stand again. I grabbed my shoe and stood quickly, grabbing a hold of her hand to steady me as I hopped to the rock she was standing on. My socked foot landed with a gross squishy slap and my face crinkled as I followed behind her quickly trying to get closer to the cliff wall before the next big swell broke on the rocks.

"Crap crap crap," she muttered as she leaned against the cliff wall. I followed suit and prayed our feet wouldn't get swept out from underneath us as the water crested over the rocks. Aside from adding a little more water to our already saturated feet, it wasn't as bad as the first one had been and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"You know...I'm beginning to think it would have been smarter for you to just jump in the swimming hole in your clothes," I grumbled as we continued toward the beach.

"Ew...Bella I'm not swimming in a pee pool," she grimaced.

"Like swimming in the ocean is some big difference. It's like a giant tub of fish pee, and let's face it, people pee too," I chuckled as we stepped off the last of the rocks.

"Thanks...I think you just permanently ruined the beach for me," she griped with a roll of her eyes.

"Hey, you're the one rinsing your shorts off in the surf...surely that thought came to your mind prior to my pointing it out," I argued.

"At least it's not in an oversized puddle with a giant hole in the bottom," she chuckled and I snorted.

She took her soaked socks and shoes off, along with her top and walked straight out into the water while I bit my lip to keep from laughing as I watched her swish herself around. I took my sock off and headed down to the water to rinse the sand off of it just as she was heading back toward me.

"That's about as good as it's gonna get I suppose," she sighed. I chuckled and pulled my sock from the water and pulled it back on before squishing my foot back into my shoe.

"So how long are you going to keep up the anger charade with Emmett?" I asked as she sat on a rock and rinsed her feet off before slipping her socks and shoes back on.

"Until he freaks out enough to never think of pranking me again," she simpered.

"Based on the look he gave me before I ran after you, I think it's safe to say he's already freaking out Rose," I told her as I shook my head.

"Good...cause I don't know how much longer I can pretend to be mad," she laughed as she stood.

"You're so bad," I snickered.

"Someone's gotta keep him in line," she shrugged as she started to climb back up on the rocks. "Let's see if we can make it back across without either getting washed out or killed."

The journey back across the rocks wasn't anywhere near as eventful as the first trip had been. Aside from a few close calls on extra slippery rocks that scared the crap out of us, we made it across completely unscathed.

"Love, what the hell happened to you?" Edward asked worriedly as he took in my soaked form and held his hand out to me to help me off the rocks.

"Slipped off a rock and got my shoe stuck, then a giant wave tried to wash us out to sea," I chuckled as I hopped down and he held his hand out to Rose.

"You're both okay though right? You didn't get cut or anything did you?" he asked as he did a quick scan of both of us.

"No, we're fine," I assured him as I spotted Emmett standing off to the side looking at Rose with a sorrowful and pleading expression. Edward looked between the two of them and then looked down at me.

"Come on...let's give them some space," he said quickly as he laced his fingers with mine and we started walking toward Ali and Jasper who were sitting by the shallow end of the water with drinks in their hands.

"Rosie I'm sorry...really. I swear I didn't think you'd get that mad," Em pleaded instantly after we'd passed him.

"Em, I swear to god if you ever prank me again we're gonna have some serious issues," Rose warned and I had to bite my lip as I shook my head slightly to stop myself from snorting. She wasn't even mad to start with. Probably hadn't been since all of two minutes after she'd realized we'd been pranked. Never could tell with her sometimes.

_Good luck with that Emmett_... I thought amusedly as we plopped down next to Ali and Jasper.

"Wine cooler?" Jasper offered as he leaned toward the cooler.

"Sure...got any of those Blue Hawaiian ones in there?" I asked. He nodded and fished one out for me.

"Edward?" he asked as he held the lid open.

"How long do you think we'll be here? I don't wanna drink and then be riding around on the quad, especially not when I have precious cargo behind me," he said as he winked at me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"I'd guess a few hours at least. You'll be alright to have one or two now," Jasper replied.

"Is she really mad?" Alice whispered as she moved closer to me. I chuckled softly and shook my head.

"Jasper told you what happened?" I asked quietly and she nodded. "No she isn't mad...she says she's just teaching him a lesson about pranking her," I whispered back.

"I figured as much," she laughed. "There's no way she could stay mad at him."

"Yeah...that is kind of difficult," I mused, thinking back to how quickly my own anger toward him had faded. I looked in their direction and smiled as I saw them kissing and quickly looked away. "What the hell did he throw at us anyway?"

"A twisted piece of vine," she replied as she rolled her eyes and I laughed.

"So...are you gonna do the rope jump thing?" she asked as she looked up at the cliff.

"Sure why not," I shrugged. "It's not much different from that rope we used to swing into the river with."

"True...it's just _much_ further drop to the water," she snickered. I looked up at the cliff and bit my lip as I tried to gage how far the drop was. It didn't look all _that_ high up.

"Is that water cold?" Alice asked as we lifted ourselves from the ground.

"The surface is usually pretty damn warm, but when you drop from up there and you hit the deeper water from the cave, it can be a bit chilly sometimes," Jasper replied quickly as he pulled his shirt off.

I kicked off my wet shoes and peeled my socks off before removing my tank top and shorts. Edward was already knee deep in water by the time I took my first steps toward it.

"Careful love...the bottom is slippery," he warned as he held his hand out to me. I linked hands with him and spun sideways as Alice squealed and Jasper barreled past us and jumped into deeper water with her in his arms. I almost lost my balance as my foot slid, but Edward caught me and steadied me as we laughed.

"All clear below?!" Em bellowed and we looked up toward the cliff. I hadn't even realized that Emmett and Rosalie had disappeared.

"Bombs away!" Jasper yelled.

Moments later, a screaming Rosalie flew through over the ledge. Her legs kicked and one arm flailed as she dropped toward the water with one hand holding her nose, squealing the whole way down.

"Holy shit! That was awesome!" she crowed excitedly when she broke the surface and quickly swam over to where Ali and Jasper were.

"Let 'er rip Em!" Edward hollered up as Emmett pulled the rope back in.

"Watch this shit," he laughed as he stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. A few moments passed before we heard his booming voice.

"Geronimo!!" he belted out and then broke through the foliage. He let go of the rope and flipped through the air before hitting the water ass first and causing rough waves to crash against the rocky edges. He hooted as he broke the surface, his voice echoing loudly off the cliff and trees.

"Baby girl, short stuff...get your asses up there!"

"You wanna go up?" Edward asked softly. I tilted my head and nodded with a grin as he led me further into the water. When the water was up to his waist, we hit a ledge where the bottom seemed to just disappear. He turned and sank backwards into the warm water, pulling me along with him.

"Are you coming Ali?" I asked as we swam past them. She and Jasper quickly pushed off the wall to swim across with us.

At the far left end of the water, closest to the cliff wall, we climbed over the rocky bottom and out of the water. Edward led the way up the narrow footpath, and held my hand tightly the entire way. It wasn't really a hard hike, but it was rather steep. At the top, it leveled off and led to an area that was just above the middle of the deep part of the water.

"Who's going first?" Edward asked as he pulled the rope in.

"I'll go," Alice chirped excitedly. Edward grinned as he handed her the rope and Jasper stepped toward her.

"You've done something like this before right?" he asked, and she nodded. "Just remember to let go before you start swinging back okay?"

With a nod and a calming breath, she tightened her grip on the rope and sprinted the few feet toward the ledge. An ear shattering squeal ripped from her as she swung out in the air and let go. Jasper walked to the ledge and hooked the rope with a stick to pull it back in and waited until she cleared the drop zone.

"You goin' next Bells?" he asked as he held the rope out toward me. I shook off my nerves and grabbed a hold of it. My heart was nearly in my throat as I closed my eyes and blew out a breath before opening them again.

"Ready love?" Edward asked. I nodded and puckered my lips at him, to which he laughed and kissed me chastely.

"Here goes nothing," I muttered and took in a deep breath as I darted toward the ledge.

"HOLY SHIT THAT'S HIGH!" I screamed, freaking out, and like an idiot, clung to the rope for dear life. My eyes screwed shut and my legs curled up, bracing myself for impact with the wall.

"EDWARD CATCH HER!!" Emmett bellowed literally seconds before I was caught by two pairs of arms.

"Whoa whoa...We got ya baby," Edward and Jasper spoke at once.

"Love, it's okay. Let go of the rope," Edward cooed softly. I dropped it instantly and finally opened my eyes.

"You alright doll?" Jasper asked worriedly as Edward lowered my legs to the ground. I nodded and took in an uneven breath.

"Yeah," I chuckled breathlessly. "It just didn't look as high from down there somehow."

"I thought the same thing the first time," Jasper laughed.

"Do you want to walk back down?" Edward asked, rubbing my arms.

"No, I'm good now," I said as I shook my head and took the rope back from Jasper.

"Baby are you sure? It's okay, I'll walk back down with you if you don't want to do this."

"I'm sure," I assured him with a shaky smile, "The actual height just surprised me."

"Alright," he sighed, "If you hit feet first, tuck your legs once you're under so you can surface quicker." I nodded and tilted my head as he leaned in for a kiss, this one lingering a bit longer than the first. I wasn't sure if it was to comfort me or him, but either way it helped.

With another steeling breath, I launched myself off the side again and released the rope. I screamed the whole way down, pinching my nose tightly and hit the water with one leg straight and one almost tucked all the way underneath me. I spluttered and gasped as I broke the surface.

"You okay?" Ali and Rose asked simultaneously.

"Yeah, I think my stomach's stuck in my windpipe though," I laughed breathlessly as I swam toward them. Emmett grabbed a hold of my arm and pulled me to his side on the rock ledge they were standing on.

"Hell little one...I thought you were gonna crash into the side of that cliff for a minute there. Thought I was gonna end up calling you Jasper Jr.," he grumbled and then released a strained sigh as his arm tightened around my shoulders.

"I probably should have looked down over the edge before I jumped. It was the surprise of how high up it seemed from up there that freaked me out," I admitted with a soft laugh as Jasper came over the edge with a crow of excitement. I looked up to the top of the cliff as he surfaced and waved to Edward as he pulled the rope back in. He smiled and waved back before disappearing from the edge.

"Em...Edward bet us he could still pull off the triple back flip. You in?" Jasper asked as he swam toward us and Emmett laughed as he looked up at the cliff.

"Jackass...he hasn't done that shit in _years_. There's _no way_ he can still pull that stunt off. I can barely complete a second front one anymore," he muttered incredulously. "How much?"

"Fifty bucks," Jasper replied with a shrug after standing up next to Alice.

"YOU'RE ON DICKWAD!" Em bellowed as we all cracked up.

"You better have the fifty bucks Empty Pockets!" Edward's laughing voice filtered back down to us.

"I'm so changing the name of that boat," Em chuckled just as Edward flew over the ledge and hurled himself backwards off the rope.

"One, two..." Jasper counted off, his voice drowned out on the three by Edward's victory shout just before he hit the water.

"Son of a bitch," Emmett grumbled as we all laughed.

Edward surfaced and quickly swam toward our group, grinning the whole way and pulled me down into the water with him to claim a "victory kiss". We swam for a while longer, and even took a few more jumps off the cliff before Ali, Rose and I climbed out of the water. We sat on our towels, drinking wine coolers and laughing as we watched the guys horse around in the water.

Around six, Emmett started grumbling that he was getting hungry again so the guys got out of the water to dry off before heading back. When they'd deemed themselves dry enough, we packed up the bag of towels and strapped everything down to Jasper's ATV.

As the guys mounted their bikes, Alice all but pleaded for either Emmett or Edward to take her for a ride, pouting when she said it looked like lots of fun when we'd taken off. I offered to ride back with Jasper, but Rose said she'd had enough adrenaline for one day and quickly hopped on behind him. Alice clapped and jumped on behind Emmett as Jasper and Rose waved and took off ahead of us. I climbed on behind Edward after pulling my helmet on and we followed Emmett up the trail. We only made it to the top of the hill when Emmett stopped and Edward pulled up beside him.

"Bro, the girls gotta switch," Em said quickly. "Alice says she can't keep a good grip around me and I don't wanna lose her over a bump or some shit."

"Okay, but you better be _damn_ careful with her. No crazy ass stunts got it?" Edward warned as I slid off the side of the bike and patted Ali's shoulder as we passed.

"Got it dude, relax. I'll be just as careful as I am when Rosie's on the back," he replied as he held his hands up and Edward nodded.

"You okay back there Ali?" Edward asked as he turned his head further to the side.

"Yeah, better thanks," she laughed lightly as she clasped her hands together in front of him.

"Hold on tight hun, and make sure you lean with me around turns okay?" he asked sweetly.

"Kay," she said as she nodded.

"Oh and Ali," I chuckled. "Lift your ass as high as you can when he raises up. It hurts like hell when ya land if ya don't."

"Oh geez," she mumbled as she tightened her grip and made sure her feet were planted firmly on the ledges.

"Get a good grip baby girl cause we're gonna rock this trail," Emmett laughed as he put the bike in gear. I locked my arms around him and he took off toward a trail on the right instead of the one we'd came in on.

Riding with Emmett was...borderline terrifying at times. He hit jumps a lot harder and higher than Edward had, making me shriek and clutch him tighter. He also had a deep penchant for skidding around bends, and occasionally tipping the bike up on two wheels. The best parts were when he'd hit a straightaway and gun it with Edward tearing up the trail to close in behind him. I'd laugh as I heard Alice's squeals, but then inevitably scream bloody terror when we'd hit another bend or bump that would lift my ass off the seat without my assistance. Quite a few times Edward would almost catch up and yell something at him from behind us, but I couldn't catch what it was and I doubted Emmett could either.

After what seemed like an eternity of bouncing and sliding around in trails, Emmett finally broke through the trees and hit the white sands of the beach. I squealed and ducked my head to the side when he hit the waves rolling ashore and a huge spray of warm water soaked us. He crowed excitedly as we sped down the beach, Edward and Alice hooting and squealing as they flanked our side all the way back to the resort.

"I wanna go again!" Alice chirped as we pulled to a stop in front of the activities shack.

"Bro, what happened to no crazy stunts?" Edward asked as he shook his head and then looked back to me. "Are you okay?" I nodded as I laughed unevenly, somewhat relieved for the ride to be over, as I pulled off my helmet.

"What? I didn't do half the crap I usually do on those trails. Baby girl loved it, right?" he asked as he turned to look back at me.

"Em, I love you, but that's the last time I _ever_ ride with you," I chuckled as I slid off the bike.

"Awww come on baby girl!" he whined as I made my way over to Edward. Alice pulled her helmet off and started frantically trying to fix her hair.

"Were you scared?" Edward murmured into my ear as he locked his arms around me.

"Only when he put the bike on two wheels," I sighed, holding him tightly as his hands ran up and down my back.

"I could have killed him for that," he mumbled as he nuzzled the crook of my neck.

"I'm starving! Where the hell are Jasper and Rosie?" Emmett grumbled as he looked down the beach.

"You're lookin in the wrong direction ya big lug. We beat ya here by ten minutes," Rose laughed as she waved from the rail of the buffet pavilion.

"How in the hell did you manage that?" Em griped as he looked up at her.

"Easy...I drove," she smirked and we all laughed. "Esme said to come back to the house. Dinner should be done in about an hour which gives us just enough time to get the bikes and stuff put away and get cleaned up."

Edward and Emmett started the bikes back up and rode around to a shed type structure behind the buffet pavilion as I carried all our helmets and Alice ran up to wait with Jasper and Rosalie. Once everything was secured and the shed was locked, Emmett decided to forgo walking back around, and instead, climbed up and over the railing into the pavilion as Edward and I took the long route.

"Hey listen, Jasper asked me to ask you for a favor," Edward said quietly as we slowly walked.

"O-kay...what kind of favor?" I asked curiously.

"He wants to know if you'll go with him tomorrow to help him pick out a ring for Alice," he replied and I had to bite back the squeal of excitement that wanted to tear out of me.

"Of course! Oh my god...when's he gonna do it? How's he gonna do it? Did he already plan it all out?" I rambled as he laughed.

"I'm not sure when or how or if he planned it all out, but we're gonna have to plan this so she doesn't think something's up," he said and I nodded. "Do you think you can handle the bike with Alice behind you so I can get a few minutes to plan something out before we get back to the house?"

"I think so. You really trust me alone on it though?" I asked nervously as he smiled crookedly down at me.

"You're a natural on it...of course I trust you. Just be careful okay?" he asked with a serious face.

"I will...don't worry. I'll send Jasper a text as soon as we get to the house," I said and he nodded as he leaned down to brush a kiss against my lips.

"Hey Jasper, you mind stickin around for a few and helping me hose down the bikes? Ali can ride back with Bella so they have time to shower before dinner," Edward said as we met up with them.

"Sure...you're okay with that right Ali?" he asked as he looked down at her lovingly. Again I had to swallow down that damn excited squeal of mine and look away from them.

"On the bike? Really?" she chirped excitedly as we all nodded. "YES!" she cheered as she did a hilarious little dance.

"Come on Bella...let's hit the road!" she grinned as she grabbed a hold of my arm and began hauling me away. I laughed and waved at everyone behind us, stumbling to keep up with her as she practically tore out of the pavilion.

When we got to the bike, I handed her my helmet and told her everything Edward had told me the first time I had gotten on it with him. She nodded excitedly and climbed on behind me as I started it up. It was more difficult to walk the bike into a spot where I could take off from without Edward's long legs helping me, but we managed and soon enough we were off. I took the roads slow, not wanting to be reckless with his bike or with Alice sitting behind me, but she still squealed in delight the entire time.

When we made it back to the house, just as I'd promised, I sent Jasper a text telling them both that we arrived safely. Ali and I walked the bike into the garage and hung our helmets before closing the garage door behind us and heading inside. Not wanting to make a mess in Esme's house, I ditched my socks and sneakers on the floor of the garage and followed behind Alice. A delicious fragrance filled the air as we stepped into the hallway, and Esme and Diane's voices echoed through the air, warm and filled with laughter. We wandered into the kitchen and said a quick hello and sat with them for a few minutes before heading up to take showers.

Edward came into the room just as I was leaving the bathroom to pick out something to wear, and he filled me in on what the plan of diversion was. I just hoped she wouldn't see through it the way she always seemed to be able to. I finished getting ready and went into the bathroom to tell Edward I was going to see if they needed any help and that I'd meet him downstairs. He popped his head out of the shower door and gave me a lingering kiss and sent me on my way while he finished showering.

"Can I help you with anything Esme?" I asked as I walked into the kitchen.

"That's alright dear. Everything is just about ready. Would you like a glass of wine?" she asked as I took a seat next to Diane at the breakfast bar.

"That'd be great, thank you," I replied as I nodded.

"So, have you and Edward discussed wedding details yet?" she asked with a bright smile. I laughed softly as I nodded and told her everything we'd discussed so far.

She and Diane gave me some fantastic ideas for color schemes and flowers and such, and even offered to help with planning everything. She said she'd put together some ideas and make a trip up to Seattle after my book tour finished so we could go over everything together and make final arrangements. I was initially worried with how she would feel about us wanting such a small wedding, what with their huge extended family and what not, but she laughed and assured me that although they love having such a large family, she and Carlisle had made the same choice for their own wedding. She stressed that a wedding is meant to be a day of joy and love between a bride and groom, not an occasion to stress out over catering to hundreds of people.

Alice had joined us half way through the conversation and adamantly insisted that she'd be designing my dress and declaring that "no sister of hers would be wearing a dress off a rack when she could have a one of a kind custom Alice creation". I told her as long as she kept it simple and I could breathe in it, I'd be honored to wear it.

As Rosalie wandered down the stairs, I prayed for acting skills to magically appear out of thin air. Edward had told me exactly what to say, and I just hoped that I could pull it off.

"Rosalie, there you are sweetheart. Good you're all here," Esme started and I took in a deep breath discreetly.

"I was wondering if the three of you would like to accompany Diane and I tomorrow. We're planning on spending the day out on the water on their Catamaran and I thought it would give us a chance to spend some time together before the rest of the family shows up," she continued, and I braced myself to pull out the big guns as I grimaced and sucked air through my teeth.

"Ooh, Esme I'm sorry," I said with an apologetic smile. "Edward made an appointment for us to pick out our wedding bands tomorrow. He said something about wanting to make sure the stones would match perfectly."

She didn't miss a beat as she smiled reassuringly and patted my hand from across the table. "That's alright dear. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time together during the rest of your stay."

"What do you say Rose, Alice? Would you care to join us?" Diane asked with a brilliant smile.

"Are Emmett and Jasper coming along?" Rose asked, playing along with the whole charade as well. I bit the inside of my lip to keep from laughing as Esme replied.

"No, they'll be with Carlisle and Marcus all day setting up volleyball pits and things like that for when the rest of the family arrives."

Ali and Rose looked at each other and shrugged as they nodded before agreeing to join them out on the water and started talking animatedly with Diane about our trip to the cave pool. I quietly let out the breath I'd been holding and smirked at Esme who then winked at me and smiled as she turned to tend to the oven.

Marcus and Carlisle joined the rest of us for dinner that evening and the table was obnoxiously loud with multiple conversations and boisterous laughter. I was beyond grateful that they didn't have any neighbors as I was sure we would have been disturbing them greatly, especially when we moved our party out onto the back deck. Carlisle put on some music that drifted softly through the outdoor speakers throughout the evening as we alternated between swimming and lounging on chairs, all the while keeping up with the loud chatter and laughter.

As we learned more about all the family members we'd be meeting the following week, it became clear to me that while many families stemming from wealth are often consumed by said wealth, Edward's family was different. They cherished their family and loved ones above anything of monetary value. While they were grateful for their prosperity, they held their wealth of unconditional familial love above everything else. There was no way around it, I was completely enamored with them. It thrilled me to no end for the three of us to be joining their family. Even though Emmett had yet to mention anything in regards to proposing to Rosalie, I knew that it was just a matter of time. They had found their match in each other just as Ali and Jasper, and Edward and I had.

We all retired to our rooms as Diane and Marcus departed for the evening shortly after eleven. When Edward and I reached his room, the door that lead into the piano room was open and I eyed it curiously.

"Were you playing earlier?" I asked as I pointed to the door. He fidgeted nervously in his spot for a second.

"Yeah, I had something floating around in my head that I wanted to try and piece together," he replied and I smiled.

"Can I hear it?" I asked excitedly.

"Not yet...it's just bits and pieces right now and it doesn't flow very well, but I can play something else for you if you'd like," he offered and I nodded exuberantly. Since the day he'd told me he used to play piano I'd wanted to hear him play. He led me into the room and sat me down on the bench next to him.

"Any requests?" he chuckled and I thought for a minute.

"Hm...how about _Piano Man_ by Billy Joel," I suggested and he laughed.

"I don't know if I can play that song. How about Twinkle Twinkle Little Star? I'm sure I can still play that," he chuckled as he started plucking out the child's tune.

"Oh come on...I know you can do better than _that_. I can play that for Pete's sake," I snickered as I bumped his shoulder.

"Can you now?" he asked as he withdrew his hand from the keys.

"Uh huh...I can do a mean Chopsticks too," I laughed.

"Come on...we'll do Chopsticks together," he said and I nodded as I brought my hand up to the keys. We laughed as we butchered the song, not really trying to match each other's tempo.

"Thank god this part of my room is near soundproof," he chortled as I bit my lip and shook with silent laughter. To anyone who might have heard us, it probably sounded like someone had let a pair of five year olds on a sugar high loose on the instrument.

"_Piano Man _huh?" he asked after we stopped laughing and I nodded.

"Okay...be nice though, it's been years since I've heard that song. I'm not sure I can actually play it," he said and I nodded again as I clapped and wiggled in my seat excitedly. To anyone looking on it would seem as though I'd channeled Alice in that moment. He looked at me and smirked as he winked and brought his hands up to the ivory keys. He played the intro flawlessly and it hit me that he'd been messing with me. He didn't miss a single note.

"Not sure you can play it my ass," I scoffed and he laughed through the beginning words of the song.

"Stop you're gonna mess me up," he chuckled as he bumped my shoulder.

"Alright, shush...here we go..." he laughed as the second verse came up. I snickered silently and waited.

_"He said son can you play me a memory...I'm not really sure how it goes, but it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete when I wore a younger man's clothes," _he belted out and my breath hitched. I instantly wished I hadn't made him laugh through the first verse because his voice was capable of turning me into a pile of goo right there on the bench. It was velvet and smooth as satin and completely drool worthy.

He continued singing the song and I laughed when he changed out some of the names, like John for Em, Bill for Ed, and Paul for Jas. It was apparent that he'd played the song a good number of times in the past and it made me curious to find out who the Billy Joel fan was in his family.

"Show off," I chuckled as he finished.

"It's one of Carlisle and Esme's favorites," he grinned. "They used to make us play it all the time before Emmett got married and went off to college. He was killer on the harmonica," he laughed and I joined in as I tried to picture Em playing a harmonica.

"I think that's something I _definitely _have to see," I mused mirthfully. That sight would be just too good to pass up.

"Do they have any other favorites?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah, a few. A couple by Eric Clapton and then some popular classical pieces from my recitals when I was a kid," he said as he nodded.

"Have you ever composed anything of your own?" I asked, having little doubt that he had the ability to. He nodded and smiled as he replied with a quick, "Would you like to hear one?"

As soon as I smiled he brought his hands back up and then began gently stroking the keys with his long graceful fingers. The notes were beautiful in their mixture, resonating as they faded and tugging at my heartstrings. The sadness of the beginning of the song caused tears to form in my eyes. The raw hurt and lack of vibrant life echoed through the deep undertones, but as the tune continued, it seemed to be pulled along and brought back to life by with the assistance of a feminine melody that was tentative at first but then grew strong and encouraging, only to slip back into that feeling of pained desolation. And then it hit me, as the deep tones were brought back to life once again, I _knew_. The low notes were _him_, and the high melody was...

"_Esme_," I breathed as the song came to a close. A smile tugged at my lips as my eyes opened and caught sight of his slightly stunned expression.

"How'd you know?" he asked as his head tilted.

"I think it was the warmth of the delicate feminine high notes. They radiated love and compassion, soothing the undertones that fluctuated between giving off feelings of emptiness and life, kind of like how I imagine you would have felt over the years. It just reminded me of the bond between the two of you that I'd heard about but hadn't really experienced until tonight," I said, not exactly sure if he got what I was talking about, but it was the only way I could explain it. He laughed and I instantly felt retarded as I buried my face in my hands.

"Shut up," I muttered, chuckling softly. "That sounded all kinds of stupid."

"Bella stop," he laughed as he wrapped his arm around me. "It was a perfect explanation. I'm just still shocked you knew who the inspiration for it was."

"Are you ready for bed or would you like me to play some more?" he asked as I curled into his side. The yawn that suddenly escaped me answered for me and he quickly pulled me into his lap, gathering me in his arms before standing from the bench and carrying me into the bedroom.

He sat me down on the edge of the bed and disappeared in his closet for a minute and came back with an old t-shirt. Edward held his hand out to me and I took it, allowing him to pull me from the bed to stand in front of him. His fingers thread under the hem of my shirt and slowly began to lift it, his hands grazing my sides lightly and I slowly lifted my arms. As he tossed the shirt on the floor, I wrapped my arms around his neck, my eyes closing as his hands tenderly caressed my back and he pressed his forehead against my own.

"I love you so much," he whispered, one of his hands rising to tangle in my hair at the back of my head. "I don't know how I'm gonna live without you until the end of summer."

"Shhh, don't think about it baby," I whispered back, rubbing my thumbs against the sides of his neck. "It'll only be a month and we can talk on the phone every day until you come up. I love you Edward. It'll be okay, I promise."

I leaned up and pressed my lips against his as I brought my arms down to remove his shirt. He unclasped my bra and kissed a trail down my neck to my shoulder before pulling his old t-shirt over my head and unbuttoning my shorts, sliding them down over my hips. I helped him out of his own shorts before turning to pull down the bedding. I climbed in and turned to pat the space beside me.

"Think about it this way...at least it'll give you time to think of what you're going to say to my dad when you meet him," I laughed.

"_So_ not funny love," he chuckled.

"What are you smirking at?" I asked as I looked up at him.

"You in my shirt. I think I may be plotting to destroy all of your normal nightwear and filling their previous drawer spaces with my old athletic tees," he grinned as he climbed in bed.

"What? It's a t-shirt Edward. It says Newport Track and Field on it," I laughed as I looked down at the worn writing on the front of the royal blue shirt.

"Eh...it's not the front I like so much as the back of it," he shrugged and of course I got curious so I pulled my arms in the shirt and spun it around.

And there it was...his reason for liking that particular shirt on me, in big huge letters stretched across the back of the shirt, his last name. _Masen._ And right under it was a giant number eighty three.

"Fitting," I snorted as I spun the shirt back around.

"How so?" he asked as he turned off the lamp on the nightstand.

"I was born in eighty three," I sniggered as I slipped under the covers and he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me to him so we were chest to chest.

"Mmm...it's very fitting then," he murmured against my lips.

"Edward? I have a question...and it may sound kinda stupid," I said as I pulled back from his kiss and then bit my lip.

"What is it?" he asked as he brushed a lock of hair away from the side of my face.

"When we get married, am I gonna be a Masen or a Cullen?" I asked as my face scrunched up in confusion. I know he said he'd taken Carlisle and Esme's last name a few years back, but I wasn't sure if he'd just added it onto his name or took it as his sole last name. He chuckled lightly and kissed the tip of my nose.

"Interesting question actually. Carlisle and Esme didn't want to replace my last name with their own so they just added the Cullen on. So I guess that would make you the future Mrs. Isabella Marie Swan hyphen Masen hyphen Cullen," he laughed as his head tipped back and a spluttering chortle ripped from me.

"That's one hell of a last name," I guffawed. "Oh my god...am I gonna have to sign that crap all the time?! Wait...aren't you a junior?"

"No," he snorted, still shaking with laughter. "My father was the junior. He didn't want me to be the third and feel like I had some legacy to fulfill as he had felt growing up so they gave me a different middle name. His middle name was Carter. And no, you won't have to sign all that hyphen nonsense...ever. You can use just Cullen like I've done for the past few years."

"Whew...I was beginning to fear my hand falling off at some point," I joked as I snuggled further into his chest.

"Hm...can't have that happening now can we? I'm rather fond of your hands," he mused as he rolled onto his back and began twiddling with one of my hands. His fingers were soft against my own as he laced them together and brought my hand up to his lips.

"Mm," I hummed as my eyes closed. "Me too...I need them to work. I tried one of those computer programs, the ones where you speak into a microphone and it types out what you say...it was a disaster," I laughed softly. "I ended up yelling at the stupid thing cause it kept typing the wrong words and then throwing the headset across the room."

"I'm afraid to ask why you were using one to start with," he chuckled.

"Pure laziness," I snorted and he laughed as he pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

We talked softly for a little while longer about nothing in particular until we were ready to fall asleep. I gave him one last kiss goodnight before we curled up together on our sides and succumbed to slumber while listening to the waves rolling ashore below.

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**AN: So here's a couple links you may enjoy with the ending of this chapter:**

**Billy Joel's Piano Man: www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=BCyKcwvV5gE (Just in case ya've never heard it)**

**Esme's Song: www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=JfBGLOJAn0E**

**Don't forget to review! Also, a pic of the cove and the ATVs have been added to the TOF image album (Link on profile) for your viewing pleasure ^_^ **


	27. Ticking Time Bombs

**AN: I know this chapter has been long awaited for all of you...so I'll keep my ramblings for the end. ENJOY!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own these peeps...just the plot ^_^

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Ticking Time Bombs

EPOV

I awoke Saturday morning feeling like a clock of doom had begun ticking in the back of my head. _Two weeks...Two weeks was all we had left until we were separated for a little over a month._ It had been agonizing just to be away from Bella for the few days while I was on the supply run with Emmett, and the distance between us two weeks prior, when everything on the island had gone to hell in a hand basket, had been unbearably torturous. How the hell I was going to manage an entire month was unfathomable for me. And yet, that damn ticking sound continued to echo in the back of my mind.

The past week had been nothing short of perfect for all of us. Last Saturday Bella and I snuck away with Jasper while Alice and Rosalie spent the day out on the water with Esme and Diane. After hitting up three jewelry stores and him not finding exactly what he was looking for, I opted to take him to the jeweler that Esme and Carlisle had been using for years. He spent a bit more than he had been intending to - well quite a bit more actually, but I made a quick call to Emmett and together we gifted him the excess amount as a combined engagement and future wedding gift to the both of them. He put up a fight about it, of course, but I settled it quickly by reminding him that he would have done it for either of us had it been the other way around. Besides, the ring really was perfect for Ali with its colored diamonds and floral design. Bella even raved about it being "_the ring"_, though she too was cringing at the price right along with Jasper.

With his purchase finally in hand, Bella and I started browsing wedding bands. I explained to the jeweler what I was looking for, basically a ring that wasn't overly flashy but would compliment Bella's engagement ring. After trying on a grand total of three rings, I found exactly what I was looking for. It was simple; a platinum band with three vertical stones in the center, two blue diamonds with a clear one in between. Bella on the other hand...wasn't as easy to please - but I'm pretty sure that was my fault as I kept trying to persuade her to get a band that had matching blue and white stones in it. She vehemently refused, however, claiming she just wanted something simple because her ring was flashy enough as it was.

Jasper and the jeweler got a damn good kick out of it, but after the two hour mark of arguing with her, I was ready to rip my hair out...so I gave in and plopped my ass down in a chair while she went in search of what _she_ wanted. Not ten minutes after that, she made her final decision and came over to show it to me. It was a simple diamond eternity band that complimented her engagement ring nicely. It wasn't what I would have chosen for her, as it was rather plain, but it was what she wanted so who was I to argue against it. If it made her happy, than it made me happy.

The rest of the past week went by in what seemed like a blur, as if time was speeding up somehow. I loved every minute that we spent together during that week, but I loathed the feeling that it was all going by much too quickly.

Sunday we all spent the day out on Em's boat, Esme and Carlisle included, doing some fishing and crabbing. Bella refused to handle another fishing pole after hooking herself the last time so she sat with Esme and they manned the crab traps. She even hopped out into the water when Larry, Moe, and Curly caught up with us, amazing the hell out of Carlisle and Esme. The woman was afraid of using a fishing pole again, but she'd jump into the water with wild dolphins in a heartbeat. I don't think I'll ever understand how her mind works, but at the same rate, I don't think I want to. I love how she surprises me at every turn.

Monday found us down at the beach, teaching the girls how to windsurf. Rosalie was by far the best out of the three of them, though I wasn't sure if it was because she'd had prior lessons with Emmett, or just because she was physically stronger than Bella and Alice. Bella gave it her best, but gave up when her arms started getting sore. Ali on the other hand, gave up after about fifteen minutes because the sail kept pulling her off the board. She was impressive with straight surfing though. A half an hour of lessons from Jasper, and she was off like the wind, nailing damn near every wave she went after.

Tuesday morning, all three girls were complaining of sore muscles so we sent them off for a day at the spa while Emmett and I helped Jasper get everything set up for his big night. We spent the better part of the morning cleaning up Esme and Carlisle's sailboat, Destiny, that had been in storage for quite some time. They rarely ever used it, but held onto it for sentimental reasons. They'd spent their honeymoon on it, and many anniversaries throughout the years. Esme couldn't bear to sell it even though they'd both purchased and sold bigger and fancier boats since that first one. It was perfect for what Jasper had planned though. If only his idea of the perfect proposal didn't come with a massive migraine for the three of us when we spent nearly three hours detangling and stringing stupid ass Christmas lights all over the damn thing.

I swear to God no matter how well you coil those damn strings, when you pull them back out, they're a wad of tangled and knotted shit. And let's not forget when you plug the damn thing in after you've strung it and find that some of the lights don't light up. Like I said, a massive fucking migraine for the three of us.

With the boat finished, sparkling clean and fully lit, Emmett and I showered and took Bella and Rose out for dinner and some dancing, leaving Jasper to his own devices with Alice for the rest of the evening. Because Esme, Carlisle, Diane, and Marcus all tagged along, we ended up at a sophisticated upscale restaurant, but we somehow managed to convince them all to hit up the club with us. I figured we would have gotten a good laugh watching them dance, but lemme tell ya, those old fogies can burn a rug just as well - if not better - than any of us can. Completely blew the minds of both Emmett and I as we watched them tear up the dance floor.

Julio and Marcos were there again, and they both politely cut in for a few dances with the girls. They even took Esme and Diane for a spin around the floor, much to the ladies' delight. All in all, it was an amazing night. It was even more amazing when we passed the Destiny on the way back and spotted Alice and Jasper holding each other close while slow dancing on the back deck of the boat. Neither of them seemed to notice anything but each other...just how it should have been in that moment.

Wednesday morning we were greeted at breakfast by the newly engaged couple, both sporting goofy grins and jacked up hair when they returned from their night upon the water. Bella and Rosalie squealed with excitement as if they hadn't known it was coming, and made a huge scene over seeing her ring. The rest of us had to stifle our laughter at the sight of all of it as we congratulated them. The remainder of breakfast was filled with everything revolving around where and when they planned on getting married. Bella and I had figured they'd get married relatively soon, so it came as a bit of a shock when they said not for almost two years. It made sense though when Alice explained that she'd be too busy to plan her wedding while trying to get the new studio up and running and focusing on creating Bella's wedding dress while Jasper focused on selling his house and getting himself settled up in Seattle.

They were still undecided, however, on whether they wanted to get married on the island or somewhere up in Washington, as Alice apparently had quite a large family and flying them all in would be quite a hassle. They had time to figure it out though, and I'm sure if they wished to have the ceremony and reception on the island, Esme and Carlisle would be more than pleased to help them in any way possible.

Thursday came and went in a flash, the day filled ATV riding, hiking, and hitting up the zip lines. Surprisingly enough, Bella was actually a bit excited to try it out. That didn't last all that long though as she made it roughly half way down the first cable while screaming bloody terror and yanking on her stick, causing it to smoke and making her stop dead in the middle of the line. Had she done that on the third line, the highest line, she wouldn't have had a problem as she would have just started going again once she let up on the stick, but because she was on the one with the least descending slope to it - she got stuck. It wasn't the first time that had happened to someone, and it sure as shit wouldn't be the last, but the fact that it happened to _her _amused me to no end. It seemed that there wasn't a single activity we could get through without at least one mishap or freak out moment. Emmett had a ball making fun of her smoking stick, and while I thought she'd get pissed, she laughed hysterically as she pulled herself along down the line until she got some momentum going again to slide the rest of the way down.

By the time we hit the third line, she ran off the ledge screaming "Geronimo" and flying down with her arms spread out to the side and squealing up a storm and laughing. It was definitely a beautiful sight to see, she looked so carefree and happy, but she punched the shit out of me when I got down to the bottom after flying down the line upside down. She swore I was gonna fall out of the harness on the way down and "plummet to my death in the jungle below". Her words, not mine. By our third run through the lines, I convinced her to try it on the second line and yelled back at her to keep her knees bent and out to the sides as I flew down the line before her, showing her how to do it.

When she got down to the end of the line where I was waiting on her, I swore she was gonna be sick. I'm positive it was the first and only time I'd ever get her to try it with how dizzy it had made her. I thought it would be best for us just to hike back down from where we were while the others headed up for their final ride down the third line, but once she recovered from her dizzy spell, she insisted on hitting it up with them. It seemed nothing could keep her down for too long, and I loved that about her. Emmett and Jasper, however, loved how she would freak the hell out over stuff, but then end up loving it a short while later. I have to admit, I find it rather damn amusing myself.

I think little by little, we were turning her into an adrenaline junkie because the next morning I awoke to a fully clothed Bella, practically begging for us to go back out on the ATVs and head down to the swimming hole. I laughed sleepily and dragged myself out of bed, managing to get in a hasty shower and a to-go breakfast before she was pulling all of us out of the house. Jasper and I were a bit hesitant when Bella and Ali both insisted on driving the bikes up to the waterhole. Emmett, however, was fine with Rose driving it because she'd done it before and she was apparently just as ballsy as he and I were. We relented after making them promise not to be reckless, but of course they didn't listen.

As soon as Alice was comfortable with the controls, they took off like two bats out of hell after Rosalie who had been waiting patiently for Ali to get the hang of it. I'd never heard Jasper scream that way, but I swear my eardrums are still ringing from it. Not that I can poke fun though, because I'm fairly certain I let out a yelp or two as well.

Once we got to the waterhole, I swear Jasper was about to kiss the ground as he practically just slid off the side of the bike and stumbled away down the trail, making the rest of us laugh hysterically. I think Ali damn near gave him a heart attack as she just kept getting more ballsy the more comfortable she got navigating the thing. Hell, she closely rivaled Emmett on air time with some of the jumps she took. Thankfully Bella was a bit more cautious...just a bit.

It was while we were at the waterhole that it dawned on me how quickly the week was passing by. It felt like just yesterday we still had nearly an entire month ahead of us, but yet there we were, just two days away from the kickoff of the family reunion and the beginning of their second to last week on the island.

Some of our family members had already started drifting in slowly over the past day or two, but were mostly spending their time getting themselves settled in and enjoying some peace and quiet to themselves before things started to get crazy. We hadn't seen much of them aside from short greetings and introductions when they'd first arrived, but we all knew that would be changing with the next few days. The bulk of the family was due to arrive on the island over the weekend, and in some ways I was both looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. Looking forward to it because I hadn't seen most of them for at least a year or two, and dreading it because their arrival would mean that our personal time, both as couples and our close knit group of six, would be diminished significantly as we'd be expected to join in the activities and gatherings with everyone else. The only alone time I foresaw for Bella and I would be when we were locked away in my room at night, and I had a feeling we'd both be too damn exhausted to thoroughly enjoy it. It kind of felt as though I was being robbed of an entire week with her, and leaving me with only one short week with which to get as much alone time with her as I could before she left.

Mentally envisioning how quickly time was passing made me acutely aware that every second that passed was a moment of time that brought us closer and closer to that wretched date when I'd have to kiss her soft lips for the last time for thirty six long days. Yep, I'd counted them. I'd counted how many days I'd be a miserable shit until I could be reunited with her again as that damn ticking time bomb of a clock sounded off in my head while I laid in bed with her angelically beautiful slumbering form sprawled across my chest.

I wanted to hold her tightly as she slept and pretend that we could stay that way forever. I wanted to wake her up and make passionate love to her like we'd never see the sun rising or falling the following day. I wanted to do anything that had absolutely nothing to do with letting her go for any amount of time.

Unfortunately the alarm clock sounded off, blaring its horrendously shrill noises into the air and our sheltered bubble of unity and solitude was shattered instantly when she jumped, startled awake by the hideous sound. I chuckled softly as I reached over to shut it off and quickly rolled us to wrap myself around her, tangling our legs together and clutching her to me as tightly as I could. _What I wouldn't give to stay that way for an eternity..._

"Good morning beautiful," I murmured as I nuzzled her neck. She hummed as she wrapped her arms around me and pressed her face into my shoulder.

"Morning handsome," she sighed, her voice thick with sleep. "Do we really have to get up?"

"Not yet...," I trailed off as I started sucking on the delectable curve of her neck. She whimpered and held me tighter as my mouth slowly moved up her neck and across her jaw. I pulled the sheet over us, cocooning us beneath it as our lips met.

"Edward, are you smuggling fruit into the room or are you just _very _excited to see me this morning?" she laughed as her thigh brushed up against my arousal. I took a hold of her hand and pressed it up against my engorged cock and she let out a soft mewl as she palmed it.

"What do you think? Does that feel like fruit to you love?" I smirked as I pushed myself further into her hand.

"I'm not sure," she smirked back, "I guess I'll have to do a thorough investigation won't I? Lord knows it would be a crime for you to have snuck edible contraband into your immaculate room."

I moaned as she pushed on my shoulder and started slithering down the front of my body, lavishing me with her warm wet tongue and soft lips.

"And just how serious of a-_ahhh_ crime are we talking here?" I groaned as her teeth grazed my hip bone, the very same one she'd bitten the week before.

"Mmm...one of the highest degree...punishable by death by orgasm," she replied with a wicked grin as she released my flesh with a slight suction sound.

"Damn," I muttered as I started panting and fisting the bed sheet. "I knew I should...have brought that..._Jesus love_...that feels amazing," I breathed, unable to form a coherent thought as her lips and tongue trailed across the flesh just above my boxers.

Her little fingers hooked under the band and slowly started to tug them down, inch by excruciating inch as she kissed and sucked at every newly revealed bit of skin as she went. For as insecure of herself as she could be at times, she sure as hell knew how to ignite fires within me that burned hotter than I'd ever imagined possible. It took all of my self control not to flip her on her back and plunge myself deep within her wet heat and claim her as mine with every forceful thrust I could manage before I exploded in her. She made me _that _insane with desire, and she hadn't even reached my cock yet for shit's sake. The woman was incredible.

"Mmm...definitely not fruit, but I do have to ask Mr. Cullen, do you have a permit to carry this concealed weapon?" she teased huskily as she peered up at me from under her eyelashes. The sight of her hovering just an inch above my erect cock nearly undid me instantly.

"Careful there sweetheart," I teased back, trying to keep a smirk on my face and keep my eyes from rolling back at the sight of her, "It's fully loaded and I'm afraid the safety is broken."

"I guess I'll just have to disarm it then," she replied with a lick of her lips.

"_Oh god,_" I moaned as her tongue swirled around the tip and her lips enclosed around it. Her mouth was so warm and wet and..._damn_ it felt good when she lowered her head down onto me, enveloping almost all of me in her hot little mouth. She hummed around me as my fingers thread in her hair gently and I swear my toes curled as my eyes rolled back and a loud moan escaped me.

When I reopened my eyes, I looked down at her and saw her watching me from beneath her lashes. She hadn't even been going down on me for more than a few minutes and I was ready to burst. I knew I'd have to do something to regain some type of control before I came when we'd barely just started.

"Do you like having my cock in your mouth Bella?" I asked, watching as her head twisted and bobbed up and down my length. Her eyes fluttered closed as a soft mewl escaped her throat, the vibrations against my flesh causing me to twitch as I hardened even further in her mouth.

"You like me talking dirty to you don't you?" I voiced huskily. She hummed mmhmm around me and then moaned as I bucked my hips up at her. "You love me telling you how _hot_ and _wet_ your perfect little mouth is as it's wrapped around my cock don't you? Tell me Isabella, tell me how much you love hearing that."

"_Damnit _Edward," she groaned as she pulled off of me with an audible pop. "You drive me _insane_ when you talk that way."

I smirked at her, fully acknowledging that I knew _exactly _what it did to her when I talked dirty to her, and pulled her up so she was straddling me and slid down so she was kneeling right above my head. She blushed beautifully as I tilted my head to kiss and lick the inside of her thigh.

"Take the shirt off love. I wanna see those luscious tits of yours," I told her as her head tipped back and she moaned. I ran my hands down her sides as she slowly lifted the shirt over her head and I grasped the sides of her tiny lace panties. With one swift tug they ripped away from her and I was blessed with the sight of her nude beauty.

"_Shit_," she gasped and then looked down at me, "you better start touching me because I've become rather impatient after _that_."

"Oh don't you worry Isabella. I plan on doing more than just touching you baby. _Much_ _more_," I vowed as I kissed and sucked my way up her thighs. She squirmed above me as I grasped her hips and lowered her down to me, just far enough that I could tease her by quickly sliding my tongue between her folds and grazing her clit before pulling back.

"_Edward please_," she whimpered as she ran her fingers across my forearm. I gave her one more swift lick and she growled impatiently making me chuckle.

"Please what love? What do you want? Tell me," I whispered against her inner thigh and nipped lightly at her soft flesh.

"I want..._damn_," she moaned as I kissed her clit softly. "Damnit...Edward stop t-teasing m-me," she stuttered as I slipped two fingers into her moist heat. I couldn't help it, I laughed. Seeing her get so flustered as I teased her was awfully amusing. Her head fell forward and she smirked at me as I slowly pumped my fingers in and out of her.

"You're evil," she breathed and then bit her lip.

Her eyes fluttered closed and a sweet little mewl escaped her as I circled her nub with the tip of my tongue and then flattened it out against it. Her hips gyrated gently above me, working against both my fingers and my mouth as I picked up the pace of my thrusting fingers. I slid my free arm up her torso as she whimpered and moaned above me, loving the sight of her pleasure, and palmed her soft fleshy breast. Her hand trailed up my forearm and her eyes opened and looked into mine as she took my hand and brought it to her lips and sucked one of my fingers into her mouth. I groaned against her as her tongue swirled around my finger and she slowly withdrew it. She was driving me absolutely insane.

"_Oh god_...baby...I'm gonna come," she panted as I licked and swirled my tongue around her harder. I felt her start to tighten around my fingers as her head fell back. One quick graze of my teeth against her clit was all it took for her to come completely undone as she bucked and moaned above me, my name falling repeatedly from her lips. It was one of the best sounds in the world, but I wasn't done yet. I quickly twisted my hand around and thrust my fingers all the way in, curling the tips quickly and repeatedly, massaging her sweet spot.

"Holy fuck!" she screamed as her pussy clamped down on my fingers like a vice grip. Little squeaks and whimpered words left her throat as she rode out the intense waves of her second orgasm above me. I slowly withdrew my soaked fingers and lapped up all her juices greedily.

With one last kiss to each of her inner thighs and her sweet pussy, I slid out from under her and pulled her back to my chest. She tilted her head and wove her fingers into my hair, pulling my head toward her lips. I hummed as her tongue darted out against my lips and tasted herself on me as my lips parted, my own tongue going in search of hers.

"Bella," I breathed as her warm hand stroked my hardened length between her legs. I rocked my hips, sliding my arousal against her wet heat as I sucked on her shoulder.

Being intimate with her was probably the best goddamn thing in the world ever. I'd never felt anything like it before in my entire life. And while I may be a relative stranger to relationships - being that I've only ever really been in a single real one prior to Bella - I wasn't exactly a stranger to sex. I'd had a few flings over the years, nothing serious but enough to know that what I have with her is above and beyond anything I'd ever previously experienced. It's simply amazing, and I could never get enough of it. Ever.

"Love me Edward," she whispered as she tilted her head toward me. I nuzzled her jaw with my nose and brought my hand up to cup her cheek.

"I do Bella - I always will," I murmured against her lips as she guided me into her slick sex. My lips connected with hers as I groaned against her sigh as I slid deep within her and stilled.

"_Edward_," she whimpered as my hands came to cover her breasts.

"Shh...let me love you baby," I whispered, trailing kisses down her neck and guided her hips into a slow motion.

For all the teasing we'd just done, our lovemaking was anything but. Our movements were gentle, sensual, our caresses soft and filled with tenderness for each other. I held her tightly against my chest as my hands roamed her soft skin, hers trailing a path of fire between my shoulders and hair as our mouths met time and time again. Eventually, wrapped in the tightest of embraces, her arms resting against my own, our fingers laced tightly together, we shattered simultaneously.

Two hours later, after an obnoxiously loud breakfast - mostly caused by Emmett's excitement over Demitri's pending arrival with his family, and his hoping "bury Demitri's face in the sand" during volleyball - the six of us headed down to the resort per Esme's request to make sure everything was still in order and await for confirmation that their flights had landed and were on their way toward the docks so we could go pick them all up.

Gianna and her husband Dominic had arrived with their little tot of a son, Vinnie, on the previous Wednesday, and her cousin Lorenzo and his family came in the day after. Uncles Caius and Aro arrived late last night, but were picked up by Diane and Marcus so we had yet to see them. Unfortunately today was bringing the two thorns in our sides, and Emmett and I were playing rocks, paper, scissors to judge which one of us was going to have to be stuck on a boat with the pretentious hag we refer to as Irina. The other would get stuck with Jane, who was annoying but didn't make you want to jump ship within two freaking minutes...usually anyway. Hell, either way it was a lose-lose situation. Jasper, the lucky bastard, had an easy out with his parents coming in around the same time as the rest of them.

"Last one bro, this one seals the deal," Em taunted as we shook our fists. We were tied up and shooting for best of three. I let my hand fly out as scissors, praying he'd go with paper, and the bastard through out a rock. _Dick._

"_Fuck_. Come on...three out of five," I practically begged, but he just laughed.

"Hell no bro...have fun with the wench. I'll take Jane's ass grabbing over her whiny ass any day," he chuckled and I scowled.

"She grabs your ass and I'll break her fucking wrist," Rose growled and he smirked as he hooked an arm around her shoulders.

"See that shit? I even have my own personal body guard. Better pack your earplugs," he laughed as Bella curled into my side.

"She can't be _that _bad," Bella commented, I'm assuming in an attempt to lighten me up but I just shook my head.

"You have _no idea_, love, none at all," I groaned.

"_Do you have to go so fast? The wind is ruining my hair. Don't drop my bag in the water, all my clothes are designer and they're worth more than your life. Ugh...have you people ever heard of silk sheets instead of this Egyptian cotton crap? I'm not drinking that fucking tap water, you'd have to be out of your goddamn mind if you think I'd put that polluted shit in my body. I only drink bottled water,_" Jasper mocked in a falsetto high voice that was downright hilarious. It even had me laughing because it almost sounded just like her.

"Oh my god," Alice laughed, "I haven't even met her yet and I want to smack her already."

"Give it a day, short stuff. You'll wanna do more than just smack her...like punch her right in her voice box," Emmett chuckled and I laughed as I nodded.

"Is she really gonna be around us constantly this week?" Bella asked warily and I shook my head.

"No...She'll probably be at the kickoff reunion dinner Monday night but then she'll whine until her parents give in and let her spend the rest of the week between the beach and the spa...hopefully that's what happens anyway," I replied, praying to God that she'd disappear for the majority of the week like she always had in the past.

"You think she'll have a friend tagging along again like she did last time?" Jasper asked and Em and I shrugged.

"Mom didn't mention it, but it's a possibility. You know her parents give into her bullshit quicker when people outside the "family" are around," Emmett mused after a moment, making air quotes when he said family because we weren't even friggen related to them really.

"Dear Lord, if she did just please don't let it be that Amy, Amanda, Amber...whatever the hell her name was, again," I grumbled. "She was just as damn bad as Irina herself - if not worse."

"_Holy shit!_ I forgot all about her!" Emmett cracked up. "Wasn't she the one that threw the villa towels in the housekeeper's face because they were too "scratchy" or some shit?"

"That'd be the one. The very same one that Esme forced an apology out of to the poor lady and then put both her and Irina up in a hotel over in Rio for the remainder of the week so they couldn't harass the staff anymore. I don't think Irina's stupid enough to pull that shit again though. I heard Carmen and Eleazar lit into her pretty good on their way back home," I chuckled at the end, remembering Esme telling me all about it in great detail. They'd taken her credit cards and her car away for three months after that visit.

"Ya think she's changed since then? That was what...two years ago?" Em asked just as Jasper's phone started ringing and he stepped away to take the call.

"It was three. And hell no...she's as stubborn as a goddamn mule and spoiled worse than moldy fruit," I scoffed as I shook my head. "Hey, since I'm stuck with the shit end of the stick...how about you do me a solid and let me take your boat so she can sit her ass inside the cabin and I don't have to hear her bitch the entire time."

"Yeah I guess I can afford you that much. You might need it anyway with all her luggage," he chuckled as he rolled his eyes.

Jasper returned a few minutes later, grinning like a damn fool and holding his hand out for Alice. They said a quick goodbye and headed off to pick up his parents that were almost at the docks, leaving the four of us to wait to collect the rest of the herd. I was sitting on a storage box on the dock with Bella between my legs, my arms wrapped around her waist and my head on her shoulder while she and Rose joked around about how Alice would fare with the whole "meet the parents" thing. I chuckled a few times when they mimicked a flustered and nervous Alice, but their conversation was reminding me of how nervous I actually was over meeting Bella's parents at some point.

I wasn't sure how they'd react to me being introduced as Bella's fiance and future husband the first time they ever set eyes on me. Hell, I can only imagine how I'd react if a daughter of mine suddenly came home and introduced me to her _fiance_, who she'd known for only a couple of weeks before jumping into that serious of a commitment. I hoped that with time before the wedding, they'd come to accept me at the very least, but that hope didn't make me any less wary of their initial reaction as Bella had yet to tell them. She hadn't even spoken to them since the day she told them we were dating just two weeks ago. Judging by her father's reaction to that bit of news, I was worried he'd blow a gasket with the next announcement.

She had, however, spoken to her Grandmother and shared with her the news of our engagement...to which I can honestly say, the woman was beyond thrilled. We had spent over an hour talking with her over speaker phone. I couldn't wait to meet her in person. She was an absolute riot and I instantly understood why Bella was so close to her. Even just through the phone she'd heard the trepidation in our voices over breaking the news to her parents, and repeatedly told us that everything would be fine, that we shouldn't worry so much because all that mattered was that we were happy together and her parents would realize that, and if they didn't, she'd beat it into them with a wooden spoon. Yep, the woman had definitely stolen a piece of my heart that day.

At the end of our conversation, both of them agreed that it would be best that her parents hear the news from us rather than from anyone else, which I appreciated greatly. I was bound to make a bad enough impression showing up as the man who all but stole Charlie's daughter, and it would only look worse if I appeared to be a coward that couldn't man up enough to tell the guy myself that I was marrying his only child.

"I hope she doesn't do that squeaky voice thing that she does when she gets all wound up with nerves...kinda like what happened during that poetry recital thing sophomore year," Bella laughed, breaking me out of my internal thoughts.

"Nah...she's had to face and speak to masses of people at her shows. I think she got over that nervous bit...although it would be fucking hilarious if she got a sudden case of it in front of them," Rose guffawed.

"Jasper's parents are pretty laid back and easy to get along with," I supplied. "I don't think she'll have too hard of a time feeling comfortable around them."

"Does Jasper get nervous easily?" Bella asked as she tilted her head up to look at me and I shook my head before kissing the tip of her cute little nose.

"No...he's the epitome of cool, calm, and collected," I chuckled.

"Well that's good...cause he's gonna need to be when he comes face to face with the Brandon horde," Rose snickered.

"Why's that?" Emmett asked curiously and both girls laughed.

"Because her family is _crazy_. Like certifiably insane kind of crazy," Bella snorted as we looked on in confusion. "Okay, I'll give you an example," she said as she sat up straighter and shook her head.

"Alice's freshman year of college, she brought her boyfriend home for Thanksgiving dinner. Rose and I were there to witness the whole damn thing. Her father kept giving him the stink eye the entire night, but yet wouldn't say a damn word to him...even when the poor schmuck tried initiating conversation with him to be polite. Her mom rambled excitedly to him, asking him millions of questions but barely waiting for the answers before jumping to another question," she stopped as both she and Rose busted out laughing.

"But then...she'd stop...mid fucking sentence...and _glare_ at him whenever he touched Alice," she spluttered through her laughter as Rose damn near slid off their storage box across from us from laughing so hard.

"Then..._then_ her damn sister busts out with "Are you having sex with my baby sister?" right as the room goes silent during one of Mama Brandon's glares and the poor guy chokes on his water!" Bella wheezed as Emmett's foot pounded into the dock and his palm repeatedly hit the side of the box as he laughed hysterically. I was nearly toppling over, dragging Bella with me as I cracked the hell up, imagining Jasper in that same situation.

"Wait..._wait_," Rose chortled. "It gets worse."

"No friggen way!" Em bellowed as they both nodded as they caught their breaths.

"So her cousin at the opposite end of the table," Bella paused as she snickered and shook her head. "Mutters some shit about he better be wearing a hard hat or something, and her father _bolts_ out of his chair, knocking the thing to the ground as he slams his hands down on the table and then points at her boyfriend who's _still_ choking on his water, and starts shouting at him that he "sure as shit better not be fucking his daughter," she sputtered, barely getting it all out before cracking up again.

"Oh God...I'd never seen anyone run that fast in my life!" Rose guffawed with tears streaming down her face.

"He fled from the house and to this day we still think he placed himself in the witness protection program or some shit because the guy just fucking _vanished_ into thin air, never to be heard from again," Bella wheezed again. I couldn't take it anymore, my damn sides were on fire from laughing so hard.

"Best part is...they had _barely _even rounded first base yet," Rose sniffled as she wiped away at her face and eyes, still chuckling breathlessly.

"Jesus! Stop...please stop...I can't take it anymore!" Emmett wailed as he hunched forward, holding onto his stomach.

"See what I mean though?" Bella snickered as our laughter died down.

"Damn...he's in for one hell of a ride," I chuckled, thinking he might just be in a worse position than even myself when it came to meeting the 'rents.

"Am I gonna have to jump through hoops to get Papa Hale's approval?" Em grinned over at Rose. She just scoffed and rolled her eyes as she waved her hand dismissively.

"Just talk Car and Driver or Hotrod and you're golden," she shrugged.

"What about Charlie, love? Do I have an easy in that you can think of?" I asked and she pursed her lips as she thought.

"Fishing...but I wouldn't use it if I were you because he'd probably just assume you were kissing major ass and that would do more harm than good with him. Just be yourself, Edward. If you let him see the man I fell in love with, there's no way he can possibly dislike you for long," she said as she folded her arms over mine around her waist and leaned further back into me.

Not a minute later, Emmett's phone went off and I groaned into Bella's shoulder, knowing it was time for Bella and I to head out since Jane and company were going to be the last to arrive. It would have been so much easier if they'd all been able to show up at the same time, but because their connecting flights into Rio were all coming from different areas, it was impossible, and there was absolutely no convincing them to wait for others to arrive before heading toward the docks.

_Impossible friggen people..._

I was pretty sure that if Heidi and Richie - Alex and Jane's parents - showed up first, they would have waited for the others, but their flight arrival times hadn't worked out that way. And Lord knows Little Miss Priss Irina would pitch a fit if she was forced to wait for anyone.

"You okay baby?" Bella asked as she rubbed my arm soothingly. I smiled at her and kissed her temple before nodding to her and looking back out over the water.

"Yeah...I just wanna get this over with and spend the rest of the night relaxing with you," I said as I pulled her between my legs and sat her down on my thigh.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Edward," she said as she wrapped her arm across my back and rested her hand on my opposite shoulder. "If they get to be too much for you, just tell me and I'll fake a sprained ankle or something and you can claim that you need to bring me home to care for my injury," she snickered as I rolled my eyes and chuckled at her.

"Oh come on...it's totally plausible and you know it," she laughed as she poked me in the stomach and I recoiled slightly as I yelped because it tickled.

"Don't tempt me love," I smirked as I glanced at her. "I might be tempted to get you to do that just so I can lock myself away with you for the next two weeks."

"You're mentally fretting over my leaving again, aren't you?" she asked with a slight frown. I sighed and nodded, unable to lie to her about it. The truth was, the thought of her leaving hadn't been absent from my mind since the weekend we spent in Rio and I didn't think it was bound to dissipate anytime soon either.

"It won't be as bad as you think honey. We'll talk everyday and time will fly by with how busy you'll be around the island while I'm gone," she said as she caressed the side of face with the backs of her fingers.

"None of that's gonna distract me enough to not miss you like crazy," I told her sincerely.

"Not even the hot girls running around fawning all over you with their barely there swimwear?" she teased with a quirked brow and I laughed.

"They could run around naked for all I care. There's only one brunette goddess that can capture my attention in barely there swimwear," I chuckled as she blushed lightly and I kissed her cheek.

"They better not run around naked," she grumbled as her nose wrinkled and I laughed.

"Even if they did love, none of them could ever hold a candle to you in my eyes so you have nothing to worry about," I said as I pulled her closer to me. "I love you Bella, nothing and no one will ever be able to take me from you."

"Just like nothing and no one will ever be able to take me from you. So whaddaya say we stop getting all frumpy and grumpy about what's to come and just look forward to what we'll have once that month is over," she said as she pulled her head back and gazed into my eyes.

"And what will we have then?" I asked as a grin spread across my lips.

"The rest of our lives together silly," she laughed as she leaned forward to press a sweet kiss to my lips.

"Sounds perfect to me," I sighed as she rested her head against my shoulder.

I approached the docks about ten minutes later and Bella ran down to toss the bumpers over the side and secure us with the ropes. She managed it quicker than I had expected, efficiently looping and knotting the ropes just as Jasper had shown her how to do when we'd gone ring hunting. Once we were tied down securely, I killed the engine and headed down to sit and wait for them with her.

Completely content, I was, just sitting with her in my lap when the limo pulled up, the back door opened, and my worst fucking nightmare stepped out right before my very eyes, causing me to falter as I stood us up and we fell back into the chair.

"This can't be happening," I muttered.

_When the hell did they become friends?..._

"Edward, baby what is it? Are you okay?" Bella asked, frantic with worry.

"This _cannot_ be fucking happening," I growled as I stood quickly from the chair, nearly knocking Bella over as I locked eyes with the person standing just outside the limo door, hand perched atop it.

"Edward! What the hell is wrong? What can't be happening?" Bella demanded as she stood in front of me and pulled my face down to look at her. My eyes closed as pure unbridled rage shot through my veins.

One word was all it took for her to understand.

"_Tanya_."

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**AN: Uh oh...dun Dun DUN! Troubled water ahead or hilarity to ensue? That is the question of the day. And onto my ramblings:**

**First of all, I'd like to thank all of you for your patience these last few weeks. I've missed all of your comments and outrageous humor immensely these past few weeks. Moving and getting settled into the new place was a headache and a half, but it's over and life and writing can go on as it should. **

**Second, many people have asked over and over again how long this story is going to be and when they'll be going back to Seattle. I spent a little bit of time while I was without internet roughly planning out the rest of this story, and as I see it at the moment, the girls will be leaving the island in probably five chapters and the story will end approximately three to four chapters after that. So that's it folks. We're nearing the end, as sad as that is, but all good things must inevitably come to an end. The actual number of chapters until the end may vary as I've only roughly plotted it and some changes may still be made. I'll keep ya posted on that front though, mmkay? ^_^ **

**Third, being that we're finally coming up on the big "family" reunion...I know FINALLY right? haha. Anyways, I'd like to see what kind of activities and shenanigans you'd like to see this group get into. My family is incredibly small, and mostly filled with old fogies, so family reunions on my homefront were usually spent with me shoving my nose in my shirt to avoid that aging moth ball fragrance of the people around me and running away screaming from all the cheek pinchers cramming the joints. My only real familiarity with these kinds of events comes from tagging along with friends to their own reunions, and sadly, that was so damn long ago I can barely remember half of what ensued during them. So throw your ideas at me people! For any ideas that I use, their creator will make an appearance during that activity, so don't forget to drop your name along with your suggestions! Become one of the extended Cullen Clan...you know you want to! hahaha.**

**Okay, I'm done. Thank you all so much for your support and continued words of encouragement. You guys make me want to keep writing even on days when I'm stuck in massive FAIL. Don't forget to review! Much love to you all ^_^ ~Jersey~**


	28. I'm sorry, your name is?

**A/N: Look at that! An update 2 weeks in a row! Amazing right? Hahaha. On another note...holy hell! You guys blew me away with the reviews last chapter! Seriously...you guys flooded my inbox and I found it impossible to respond to all of you. Sorry if you were hoping for a response, but it was either I sat here for hours responding, or worked on this gem of a chapter for you all to have this week. Hope the trade off was worth it LOL. Thank you all so much for your activity suggestions...they were highly amusing and some of them are definitely being infused into the next few chapters. Enough of my bs...ENJOY THE CHAPTER!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own these characters...we all know this by now. ^_^

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I'm sorry…Your name is…?

BPOV

If someone had asked me what the hell happened that caused such a drastic and instantaneous shift in Edward's demeanor before he had said that vile woman's name...I would have thought something had jumped up and bit him square in the ass or something. One minute we were sitting cozily on a chair, and after falling back into said chair when we tried to get up, he nearly catapulted me clear across the deck of the boat in his haste to stand. It scared the hell out of me for a minute there.

Unsure of what to say or do to ease his tension, I settled for gripping his hand firmly in mine after we made our way onto the dock to wait for his family and their _guest_ to make their way down the dock.

_Guest...what a crock of shit... _I scoffed mentally.

Something about the way she kept leering at Edward from her spot beside the limo told me that she had been fully aware that she'd be seeing him again by coming here. Fully aware and possibly even hoping to gain something out of it. What she was hoping to gain was beyond me, because there wasn't a chance in hell I'd ever let her get him in her claws again.

"Edward, you need to relax baby," I said softly with a gentle squeeze to his hand as the driver shut the trunk of the limo.

"_She shouldn't be here_," he growled, gripping my hand back firmly.

"No...she shouldn't, but she is and we're just going to have to deal with it right?" I agreed, trying to soothe him and calm him down.

"Love, you're not understanding me. She wouldn't come here unless she was looking to gain something," he stressed as he shook his head and looked down at me. "She doesn't do family functions, I know this because I tried getting her to come to one when we were together, but she refused to go. Hell, she didn't even want to _meet_ my family back then."

I looked up at him in confusion, not understanding why she wouldn't want to at least meet them when they'd been together for two years. That didn't make any sense to me at all, but yet I couldn't deny that he was telling the truth. I could see it clear as day in his eyes, could see the haunting ghost of pain her refusal had caused him in the past.

"Why the fuck is she _here_?" he growled again, running a hand through his hair.

I grasped it lightly in mine and brought it down so I could hold both of his hands between mine against my heart. "She's here for you," I said quietly and he groaned, throwing his head back. "But she isn't going to get you baby. Edward look at me," I said sternly and he did so instantly.

"What did we just say to each other on the way over here? _Nothing _and _no one_ will ever be able to take us away from each other. We'll face this together, okay?" I asked as I reached up to stroke his face with the backs of my fingers. His eyes softened as he looked down at me, his love and adoration for only me erasing the ghosts of his past that had been faintly lingering in his eyes.

"I love you so much, Bella, and I'm sorry that you're having to come face to face with my ugly past," he murmured as he leaned down to press his forehead against mine. I chuckled as I tilted my head to press a soft lingering kiss to his lips.

"I love you too, Edward. Are you ready to face your past? Cause I sure as shit am," I grinned menacingly. That bitch had caused him a tremendous amount of pain in the past, caused him to feel insecure and unworthy and I'll be damned if she wasn't going to leave this beautiful paradise feeling the exact same way.

"I don't know what plan you're concocting in that beautiful head of yours, but please be careful..." he started and I cut him off.

"Don't you worry about me Sparky. I can handle anything she can throw at me," I assured him as we heard the first set of luggage wheels hit the dock...along with what I was assuming was Irina's grating voice complaining already. I grimaced slightly as I took my place beside Edward, wishing I actually had a pair of those earplugs Emmett had been joking about earlier as she continued to carry on.

"Why couldn't the damn driver lug this shit down the dock? I shouldn't be having to do this kind of manual labor, and what the hell is _he _doing just standing there with that woman?" she huffed as she stomped like a petulant child.

"For the love of God...gimme the goddamn bag," a burly man who was already loaded down with numerous bags griped as he spun toward her. "It's not like I'm not carrying the rest of your shit as it is."

"Irina, if you are going to act this way the entire time than you can turn right back around and go home. I _will not _tolerate this kind of behavior. You are twenty four years old. Grow the hell up already," a woman, who I assumed was Carmen, reprimanded sternly. Irina crossed her arms over her chest, but thankfully, shut her trap as Demitri took the only piece of luggage she was toting from her.

I wanted to laugh, I really did, but just as it almost bubbled out of me, Tanya broke from the rest of the group and started striding her fake and bake tanned ass down the dock confidently. A perfect smile suddenly spread across her face as if she'd _just_ recognized the man standing beside me, which was complete bullshit because she'd been leering at him since she stepped out of the limo.

"Eddie? Is that really you?" she crooned excitedly. I nearly snorted at Edward's grunt of annoyance as she took her final steps in our direction, completely ignoring my presence. "My God, it's been years. You look amazing!"

"Tanya," he greeted with an indifferent tone and a slight nod, "I never expected to see you here. You're looking...well," he replied after pausing for a series of seconds to appraise her appearance.

I had to bite my lip to fight off my laughter as her smile fell momentarily. It didn't last long, however, as with a flick of her strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder, her confidence returned nearly instantly.

"So how have you been? What have you been..." she started as her eyes darted between Edward and I, only to be cut off by him.

"How _rude_ can I possibly be? My apologies, _love_," he said as he looked down and grinned at me with the most innocent expression ever.

"Sweetheart, this is Tanya Denali, I believe I've mentioned her to you in the past," he said with a wicked gleam in his eye as he pulled me closer into his side. I had to grab a hold of the back of his shirt tightly just to maintain my composure.

"Tanya, I'd like you to meet Bella Swan, my _fiance_ and soon to be _wife_," he beamed at her.

"Oh my God, Edward! You're getting married?!" Carmen squealed as her luggage fell to the dock. He simply nodded and smiled at her as Tanya downright glared at me. I was pretty sure that if I looked her straight in the eye in that moment I'd turn to stone instantly because I could feel the heat of it searing into me.

"Oh honey! Esme didn't tell me. I'm so happy for you!" Carmen cried happily as she approached him and he lifted his arm from around me to fully embrace her as she wrapped him in her arms. I stepped away to give them a moment together and held my hand out to Tanya.

"It's nice to meet you Tasha," I said with a bright polite smile.

"It's _Tanya_, and it's nice to meet you too _Barbara_," she responded, but simply cast a glimpse of disdain at my outreached hand before crossing her arms and taking a step back.

"Just as well," I shrugged as I lowered my hand. "I hear those sunless tanners can stain your skin something horrific."

"_Excuse me_?" she sneered just as Edward called out to me.

"Sorry Tara. Please, make yourself comfortable on the boat," I grinned and stepped away.

"Love, I'd like to introduce you to Eleazar, Carmen, Demitri, and Irina Serrano," he said as he pointed them all out. "Everyone, this is Bella Swan, my fiance."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Eleazar said graciously as he shook my hand.

"Likewise," I beamed as Carmen stepped forward. She took a hold of both of my hands and looked me over from head to toe.

"Well...I can see how you managed to steal the heart of our dear loner Edward," she smiled as she leaned forward and kissed both of my cheeks. "Welcome to the family, sweetheart."

She raised my left hand and gasped as she took in my ring. I bit my lip as she gave me a watery smile and covered my hand with her other hand. "You must be an incredible woman for him to give you his mother's ring. It looks beautiful on you, honey, like it was crafted just for your hand."

"Thank you," I said as I blushed slightly while Tanya shot daggers out of her eyes at me.

"She is Aunt Carmen," Edward grinned down at me. "The most incredible woman I've ever met," he told her as she squeezed my hand and then stepped back while gently wiping her misty eyes.

"Bella, it's a pleasure. Good to see my cousin has impeccable taste in women...cause his taste in music is for shit," he chuckled as he shook my hand and I laughed.

"Damn dude! And here I thought you mighta been playin' for the home team," Demitri laughed as he stepped to the side and punched Edward's arm. I turned toward Irina with a friendly smile and held my hand out to her. She shook it quickly, barely touching me, and plastered a tight hideous smile on her face that lasted all of two point three seconds before she dropped my hand and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Can we go now? I'm damn near baking to _death _out here," Irina whined and then stomped her way over to Tanya.

"I'm sorry," Carmen apologized instantly, sharing a look of pure embarrassment with Eleazar.

"It's quite alright, no need to apologize," I said as I waved it off with a soft smile.

"Let's get this show on the road shall we?" Edward piped in. "You wanna show them around inside while I get all this stuff onboard?"

"Sure," I replied instantly, leaning up to press a quick kiss to his lips. The disgusted sound Tanya made at the sight of it only left me grinning wickedly as I stepped away and led them onboard.

I gave them the grand tour of the cabin, and even went so far as to offer them something to drink and snack on since Emmett had stocked the fridge earlier that morning. It wasn't much, but hey, at least I offered it. Carmen and Eleazar thanked me after I told them to make themselves comfortable and began to make my escape up to the control tower.

Irina was on some warpath over the uncomfortable couch and the incredulously tiny bathroom. Between her griping and Tanya's heated glares, I feared I'd beat the pair of them to death with a fishing rod if I attempted to stay below with them. I didn't fail to notice that her own brother had disappeared somewhere in the middle of the tour I gave, probably unable to tolerate her any longer. I didn't blame him. Not. One. Bit.

As I exited the cabin, I shut the sliding glass door behind me to drown out the sound of the engines churning the water behind us just in case it bothered them somehow, though I'd rather hear that sound over Irina's complaining any day of the week. Hell, any day of my_ life _was more like it.

"Making an escape already?" Demitri's voice chuckled and I spun around as I gasped, not seeing him on the deck before I had turned to slide the door shut.

"Hey, I stuck it out longer than you did in there," I laughed breathlessly.

"Come to me in twenty four years...and I'll still have you beat on how long I've endured _that_. Seriously, I think my parents have a sonogram or something where her bitching in the womb drowned out her heartbeat," he said amusedly and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Quit flirting with my fiance and grab a hold of this thing will ya?" Edward chuckled as he heaved a suitcase onto the rail. "What the hell is in this thing? A dead body?"

"Hey cuz, she ain't your wife yet. I still have a fair shot," Demitri laughed, "and _that _would be the Queen's hair and make-up arsenal I think. I'd love to know where the hell she thinks she's going that she needs all this shit though."

"Fair shot my ass," Edward laughed back, "You don't have a shot in hell my friend."

"Awww, is that true honey?" he smirked as he looked over at me and I winked at Edward.

"Afraid so _honey_, not in a million years," I snickered as he stumbled backwards holding a hand to his heart.

"Just go on and break my heart why don't ya, beautiful?" he joked and we all laughed as Edward hopped over the side of the boat and onto the deck.

"Told ya...she's _mine_. Go find your own amazing woman...and get the ropes while you're at it," he grinned cockily as I laughed and he led me over to the ladder.

"What's this shit? I'm supposed to be on vacation and you're putting me to work?" Demitri scoffed behind us, but one look back at him told me he was just messing around as he was grinning like a fool while untying the back line.

Once Edward had the boat pulled out of the slip, Demitri pulled the bumpers in and then headed up the ladder to join us in the control tower. Edward pulled me into his lap again to leave the passenger seat open for him, and within moments we were off. The entire ride back to the island was filled with chatter between the three of us.

Edward and Demitri spent a little bit catching up with each other since they hadn't seen each other apparently in at least two years, but once they came full circle, Demitri wanted to hear all about how we'd met each other. To put it mildly, he was blown away with the whirlwind that was our relationship. He was even more blown away to hear that we weren't the only recent couple as both Emmett and Jasper had paired off as well.

About half way back to the island, we spotted Em and Rose flying through the water toward the docks. We waved at each other as Demitri let out a loud "Dayum!" when he spotted Rosalie.

"Where the fuck was I when you shitheads met these hotties?" he laughed.

"Snoozin' as usual probably," Edward joked.

"What's Jasper's girl look like? I'm almost afraid to ask," Demitri chuckled and Edward shrugged.

"Dark haired, pretty steel gray eyes, short and kind of pixie-ish," he said with a slight laugh. "She's a sweetie though, perfect for him."

"Well shit...I'm happy for you fuckers. It's about damn time the three of you found some happiness for once," Demitri mused as he slapped Edward's shoulder.

"What about you? When are you gonna finally settle down?" Edward asked.

"Pshaw...never. There ain't a woman alive that can handle my awesomeness," he said with a cocky grin as he rubbed his chest and leaned back in the chair causing us both to bust out laughing.

"More like they can't tolerate your arrogant ass," Edward retorted causing Demitri to grin and shrug.

They chatted for a while longer over plans for the week, and even made plans to try to hit up the swimming hole at some point during his stay. It amazed me how different he was from his sister. They were at completely different ends of the spectrum from each other. It was kind of funny, because he reminded me more of Emmett than anyone else. They had the same jovial demeanor, cocky attitude, and relatively the same build. I could only imagine how competitive they could be around each other.

As Edward approached the main dock on the island, Demitri and I went down below to handle the ropes. There were a few employees standing at the end of the dock, waiting to handle their luggage for them and show them to their villas. From what I understood, Carmen and Eleazar would be claiming their own suite while Demitri, Irina, and Tanya all shared one, much to Demitri's dismay. I felt bad for the guy, and apparently Edward did too as he offered him either the couch at the main house or one of the smaller villas on the opposite side. He quickly took the offer to stay over on the other side, claiming it was a hell of a lot better than sleeping on the beach which he was sure was where he'd end up.

Tanya glared at me once again before smiling sweetly at Edward and saying they'd have to get together sometime during the week and catch up with each other. He simply smiled politely and told her that he wasn't sure if he'd have any spare time, but hoped she enjoyed her stay. Her smiles were starting to fall quicker and quicker with each dispassionate response from him. If I didn't know what a heinous witch she was, I might have actually felt bad for her. But I did, so I didn't. Not in the least. Frankly, she deserved every bit of it for what she'd done to him and she shouldn't have expected him to be even remotely enthused over her presence. His being politely civil was more than she should have ever expected at all.

"You doing okay?" I asked him as I wrapped an arm around him and leaned against his side while he navigated us toward the marina.

"I'm perfect, love," he smiled down at me and pressed a kiss to my temple.

"You handled that much better than I would have thought possible," I said as I rubbed his chest with my palm, right over his heart.

"It pisses me off that she's here when she has neither a reason to be here nor a right to be, but showing her any type of emotion, regardless if it's just anger, will just encourage her to keep trying to get under my skin...which is the last thing I want," he said and I nodded.

"Is that something she's familiar with doing? Getting under your skin?" I asked and he snorted.

"_Very _familiar with. It was something she used to do frequently to distract me from what was really wrong in our relationship. She'd get me riled up over something stupid, making me forget what was bothering me originally and then things wouldn't look so bad once I'd calmed down because the only thing that would stick out in my head is whatever stupid thing we'd been fighting over. I didn't realize she had been doing that shit for the majority of our relationship until well after it had ended," he said and I sighed.

"What'll happen if she gets under your skin now?" I asked worriedly. He chuckled and held me tighter.

"Nothing aside from me going off on her. You have nothing to worry about baby. She's only a part of my past, a dismal part at that, and it's gonna stay that way. I have no desire to befriend her or even be anywhere near her for that matter," he said as he rubbed my back comfortingly.

"That's not what I'm worried about, Edward. I'm worried that her presence here is gonna stress you out to the point that you back away from enjoying time with your family and me. I just don't want you to end up holing yourself up in the house all week," I said as I held him tighter.

"Love, I have two weeks left to enjoy spending time with you. One week to enjoy being around my family and letting them see just how insanely happy I am with you in my life. Trust me when I say that there's not a chance in hell I'll be spending it in hiding just because of her," he replied as he crept toward the marina slip.

"Good because I'd hate to have to resort to conjugal visits after I murder her ass for ruining this week for you," I chuckled as I stepped away to head down and secure the lines.

"Yeah," he laughed, shaking his head and calling back to me, "Let's not take that route, love. Though I'm sure you'd look pretty damn hot in an orange jumpsuit, I'm pretty certain I'd wind up in a mental institution if I only got to see and touch you once a month."

Once the boat was secure, Edward and I sat in one of the fishing chairs on the deck, wrapped up in each other and enjoying the peace and quiet that was sure to be sparse over the next week. Occasionally his fingers would drift to my ring and he'd fiddle with it absentmindedly, spinning it to and fro before linking our fingers together and squeezing my hand. We had been silent for so long that it startled the shit out of me when he spoke suddenly.

"We should put a hammock in the backyard next spring," he said as I jumped and then laughed. I had no idea where that thought came from but it amused me to no end.

"What in the world had you thinking of a hammock?" I asked curiously as I shifted and tilted my head up to look at him.

"I was thinking of what life is gonna be like for us living together up in Seattle, and I pictured us spending warm sunny afternoons lazing about in a hammock together," he said with a slight shrug and an adorable smile. It was comforting to know that while he had a million things he could have been stewing over, he was only thinking of us - of our future together.

"That sounds like a great idea...I know the perfect place for us to put it too," I said as I snuggled further into him.

"Yeah? Describe it to me," he said, and I did. I described my entire backyard, from the garden that hasn't had anything growing in it over the last two years, that I was aware of anyway, to the giant oaks and maples that dotted the yard and the mixture of pines and spruces mixed in with various others behind the back fence. In the front corner of the backyard was a beautiful cherry blossom tree that my Grandmother had bought for me when I'd first moved in and I could just picture us laying beneath it in full bloom, with spots of sunlight shining through it's branches.

Not long after we'd drifted into another peaceful silence, Em and Rose returned. We hopped up and headed toward their slip to help them tie down. From the looks on their faces, it appeared their trip hadn't been as bad as they'd assumed it would be as they were both smiling and laughing as they pulled in.

"We're in the clear, bro. Well at least where Jane's concerned," Emmett chuckled as Edward bent down to tie down the front of the boat.

"She didn't come?" he asked curiously as Emmett shook his head.

"No, she's here, but she brought her _boyfriend_ with her," he laughed.

"Sweet, at least our asses are safe now," Edward chuckled.

"Seems like a cool enough kid...a little on the quiet side though," Em said as he killed the engines.

"We got an extra guest on our trip too," Edward said as he stood and ran a hand through his hair.

"Oh shit...it's not that Amber or whatever person is it?" Em asked worriedly.

"No...worse. For me anyway," he replied as Emmett's expression turned to confusion.

"Who is it?" he asked as Edward held out a hand to help Rose off the boat.

"An unwelcome blast from my past," Edward responded with a meaningful look toward him.

"Alaska girl?" he asked with a stunned expression.

"Tanya," Edward said with a nod.

"Well damn. Wait...she's not with Demitri is she?" he asked and we shook our heads.

"Nah, from what we gathered he doesn't really know her all that well as he's been living up by Juneau for a few years now and she and Irina became friends sometime after he moved out," Edward said as we started making our way down the dock. "Doesn't seem to be very keen on her either."

"Well that's good at least. I'd hate to see her steamroll another member of the family. He may be a douche sometimes but he's a pretty decent guy overall," Em commented as we made our way toward the truck.

As soon as we got back to the house, we spotted Esme and Diane in a flurry in the kitchen, cooking up a storm. For what I wasn't sure, but when we offered to help they shooed us off and told us to shower and get ready to head down to Mezcalito's. I looked to Edward and he just shrugged as he led me toward the stairs. So much for our plans to relax for the rest of the night.

We decided to shower together to save time, which was a completely ridiculous idea because we just ended up fooling around in the shower like a pair of horny teenagers and taking three times as long. Long enough that Em and Rose apparently were left with no hot water when they finally made it into their own shower after whatever they were busy doing...which was probably the same thing we were. Oops.

While I planned on just throwing on a tank top and a pair of shorts since it was rather warm and humid out, Rosalie insisted that I wear her white sundress with pink flowers and capped sleeves and even talked me into letting her do my hair. While I thought she'd curl my hair and I'd end up sweating like a pig from not being able to pull it up, she didn't. All she did was add some mouse and pulled it back into a cute knotted bun just above the base of my neck. She winked when she said just to remind Edward to go slow so I didn't wind up with wind tunnel hair.

_So we're taking the bike...awesome..._ I thought as I grinned at her.

We sat and talked a bit, mostly laughing over my encounter with Tanya. Rose high fived me over fudging her name and the snarky comment about the sunless tanner. When she asked about how bad Irina truly was, I broke out into an almost perfect imitation of her bitching, complete with petulant foot stomping and looks of disgust that had her nearly falling off the bed in a fit of hysterics.

She left her room soon after that to let me finish getting ready. I kept my make-up ultra light, not wanting it to melt off and end up having raccoon eyes or something, and donned the matching necklace and earring set she'd left behind for me. When I got back up to Edward's room, I stopped dead in my tracks at the sight of him. He looked utterly delicious in his black dress pants and crisp white button down, of course with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He'd even moussed his hair up into a hot "just been shagged rotten" mess.

"Does it look okay? Esme just attacked me with a pair of shears because she said I was looking rather unruly," he chuckled as he tried to run his fingers through it but it was kind of too crispy.

"If I said I suddenly need a new pair of panties would that answer your question?" I nearly drooled as he grinned crookedly.

"That good huh?" he smirked.

"Definitely..." I breathed as he slowly approached me, taking in every inch of me with each step before wrapping me in his arms.

"You look incredible, love," he murmured as he dragged his lips down my neck and across my shoulder. The top of the capped sleeves only touched the very edge of my shoulder, leaving the entire line up to my neck bare.

While most men were tits or ass men, Edward was apparently a neck/shoulder guy as he frequently attacked that area whenever it was visible. I suddenly saw the beauty in Rosalie's request for me to wear this dress, especially if Tanya was going to be there. Yep...she definitely deserved an award for best friend and sister of the year.

"So beautiful," he whispered and placed one last kiss to my skin before pulling back.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked. I nodded as he leaned down for a chaste kiss and I wiped the gloss off his lips as he pulled away.

"Jasper called while you were down in Emmett and Rose's room. He and Alice are already there with his parents and Carlisle," he said as he led me out of the room and toward the staircase.

"Where's everyone else? It's so quiet down there," I questioned as we descended the stairs.

"Esme and Diane left right after attacking my head and I think Emmett and Rosalie left just a few minutes before you came up," he replied.

By the time we got to Mezcalito's, I was sure we were the last to arrive. I'd never seen the place so packed, and to know that it was all full of members of their family, was a bit intimidating honestly. Especially when all their heads turned at the sound of the bike rolling up. It felt like every gaze, and one heated glare, was concentrated solely on Edward and I.

_Oh, how to get off this thing without flashing the fam my underoos..._ I thought as he pulled to a stop.

"Edward, I apologize ahead of time if I flash your family while dismounting this thing," I snickered quietly.

"Stand on the peg before bringing your leg over," he chuckled. I nodded and did as he said, breathing a sigh of relief when I managed to step down without showing off my knickers.

"Unca Eddie!" a little voice squealed followed by a quick pitter patter of feet down the wooden walkway. Edward quickly hopped off the bike and squatted down to the ground, laughing as a beautiful little girl with brown curly hair and big hazel eyes tackled him.

"Maddie, look at you! You're getting so big!" he chuckled as he lifted her off the ground and into his arms.

"Uh huh...daddy says I gwow wike a bean stawk," she said with an adorable nod that made me laugh.

"You sure do," he chuckled, "You're nearly twice as tall as the last time I saw you."

"Is dat yow giwlfwiend?" she asked in a shy whisper as she attempted to point slyly at me.

"She's my fiance, can you say fiance?" he asked with a bright smile as her brow furrowed.

"What's dat?" she asked confusedly.

"It means we're gonna get married like your mommy and daddy are," he said as a bright smile crossed her lips and she leaned in to cup her hands around his ear. Little did she know she wasn't as quiet as she thought she was when she asked if we were gonna have babies together.

"Hopefully one day babycakes. Would you like a little cousin to play with?" he chuckled and she nodded vigorously. "Can you say hi to Bella?"

She looked at me shyly, halfway tucking her head into his neck, but peeking at me from under his chin. I gave her a little one fingered wave with a bright smile and she blushed as she waved her finger back to me with a soft little, "Hi Bewwa."

"Hello Maddie, that's a beautiful dress you have there. You look like a princess," I cooed to her and she smiled brightly as she leaned up to "whisper" to Edward again.

"I dunno...why don't you ask her?" he grinned at her and then winked at me.

"Bewwa, wiwl you hewlp me an Nana make a cwown fow me?" she asked as she fiddled with Edward's neck collar and stole shy glances at me.

"I'd love to Maddie, will you show me how?" I asked as she giggled excitedly and squirmed in Edward's arms. My _God _was she adorable.

"Alright honey, why don't you go set everything up with Nana and we'll join you after everyone meets Bella, okay?" he cooed to her as he tucked a lock of her curls behind her ear. He kissed her little button nose and set her down on the ground before she went running off yelling for her Nana.

"She is the most adorable little girl I've ever seen," I snickered softly as I linked my hand with his outstretched one. "How old is she?"

"She just turned four. She's Felix and Julie's daughter," he said and I nodded, remembering that Felix was Kate's brother. How I managed to remember that was beyond me, but looking at everyone crowded around Mezcalito's, I was sure that my head would be spinning with names shortly.

As we made our way into the hut, it was like the floodgates had opened and conversations sprung up around us in all directions. We made our way through the crowd, shaking hands through introductions, and having our cheeks kissed repeatedly. I'd witnessed greetings like that in movies and such, but had never really seen it in real life, so the attention was a bit overwhelming. The closest I had ever come to anything of that caliber was awkward one armed hugs shared with Rose and Ali's immediate family members.

After the first ten minutes, I'd already lost count of who I'd met and how they were "related". Just trying to keep their names straight was a task and a half. I'd met Felix and his wife Julie, Heidi and her husband, Richie I think his name was, and of course their kids Alec and Jane and her boyfriend Toby.

Upon meeting her, I kind of wondered if the guys had a bit of Charlie's old "biggest fish I ever saw-itis" when telling their stories of her chasing them around and grabbing their asses. As we spent a few minutes chatting with them, she seemed to only have eyes for Toby - who, poor soul, was looking like he was on the brink of having an anxiety attack from being surrounded by so many people - and was a far cry from the boy crazy ass grabbing person they'd painted a picture of in my head.

_Boys and their over-exaggerations…_

Then, if I'm getting this right, there was Lorenzo and his wife Gabriella, and their kids Giuseppe, or Joey as he insisted he be called, Angelo and Renata, along with Aro - Lorenzo's father - and Cauis - Aro's best friend and Marcus's father. When I met Gianna, I made the mistake of assuming she was Lorenzo's sister, only to find out she was actually Aro's oldest granddaughter. I gave up assuming anything after that and continued on as she introduced me to her husband Dominic and their angel of a little boy Vinnie.

I was beginning to worry just how many more people were going to be showing up and how many names I was going to have to attempt to keep straight. To say I was relieved when Edward told me they were only expecting one more family to arrive the following day, was a severe understatement. Apparently there were others that just couldn't make the trip for various reasons, so Eleazar's sister Sasha and her family would be the last ones to join us. Emmett seemed to be convinced that it was more along the lines of they just didn't want to attend more than they couldn't because they weren't as closely knit with the family as everyone that had arrived was.

Meeting Jasper's parents, Peter and Charlotte, was..._strange_. Every time I looked at his father, I swore I was looking at Jasper twenty or so years down the line. It had me constantly giggling in my head. Both he and Jasper's mother were very nice though, and seemed to be rather smitten with Alice. Jasper seemed to get a bit miffed, however, every time they stole her away from him for something or another. It was highly amusing to both Edward and I.

As introductions gave way to groups of people breaking off and conversing casually, Maddie jumped on her clear opportunity to steal Edward and I away from the adults. She led us over to a table where Diane and Esme were sitting with the younger children, the middle of the table covered with arts and crafts supplies. I'm talking fake gems, plastic crowns and tiaras, stickers, markers, crayons, paint, paper, and coloring books galore.

Edward crafted this monstrosity of a crown, every inch of it covered in sparkling jewels, only to have it stolen from him right after he fastened the last gem. Yep, two year old little Vinnie snatched it right out of his hands and proudly plopped the oversized crown down on his head and then tossed Edward the randomly sticker encrusted one he'd been working on. As if that didn't make us laugh enough, Maddie stood up in her chair and leaned over me to affix the tiara we'd been working on onto Edward's head. He looked just darling in the hot pink tiara with glitter glue swirls and shiny gems.

Thank God Esme had her camera on hand, because I _definitely_ wanted a picture of that!

I had honestly forgotten that Tanya was even present until I caught a glimpse of her heated glare and scowl in our direction while we were laughing and Edward was posing with both Vinnie and Maddie for pictures. I rolled my eyes at her and turned my focus back to our table, our _family_, something she was never a part of and never will be.

For every glare, scowl, and exaggerated eye roll she sent in my direction as the day wore on, I only offered her a smug smirk and a flash of my gorgeous ring. I'd realized quickly how much having that ring on my finger irked her when Edward's "Aunt" Heidi gushed for a solid ten minutes over how gorgeous it was. I swore the twit was going to give herself a cerebral aneurysm with how viciously she was glaring between myself and the ring, and I really think Aunt Heidi caught it from the corner of her eye because she promptly made sure that _every_ person in the hut had seen it. It was a huge spectacle…God bless her. I couldn't love her more if I tried.

With the afternoon eventually giving way to late evening, mass amounts of food, drinks, and deserts having been consumed, we found ourselves amongst a rapidly thinning crowd. Felix and his wife were the first to depart, along with Maddie, followed shortly thereafter by Gianna, Dominic, and an already fast asleep Vinnie. Little by little people began to rise and bid their farewells for the evening, eventually leaving behind only our group of six plus Kate, Demitri, Irina and Tanya.

_Bloody fantastic...just who I want to share a table and a round of margaritas with after an amazing afternoon...oh well. Might as well get some type of amusement out of it..._

"So, _Tina_...are you finding the villas comfortable?" I asked with a saccharine sweet smile in her direction just as Edward's lips found my shoulder for the billionth time of the evening.

It was becoming more frequent with the number of drinks he tipped back throughout the evening. He wasn't drunk by any means, but he was apparently feeling rather _affectionate_. My falsely innocent verbal faux pas, however, earned me a quick nip of his teeth as he ghosted a chuckle.

"Ouch! No biting!" I laughed as I jumped, turning Tanya's heated glare into a blazing inferno as Edward wrapped his arms around me and chuckled. I purposely rested my ring clad hand on his bicep and smirked at the witch, "Don't mind him _Tori_, he gets a bit…_frisky…_after a few drinks."

"It's _Tanya_, get it right," Tanya sneered at me, drawing my attention away from Rose and Irina before grinning at Edward. "And the villas are _lovely_."

"Sorry...I'm _horrible _with names," I chuckled in false embarrassment, turning my head to wink at Rose who brought a hand over her mouth and leaned into Emmett who was caught up in a lively conversation with Kate and Demitri, the three of them oblivious to anything else happening at the table. Alice started choking on her margarita and Jasper was slapping her on the back as he fought off his own amusement.

"_Ugh_, I don't know how you can call those things _lovely_. They're barbarous! They might as well be made of bamboo stalks and palm branches with hay mats on the floor," Irina griped instantly, completely unfazed by Alice nearly hacking up a lung.

"Do you even know what _barbarous_ means?" Rose snorted as she rolled her eyes. "It means lacking culture or refinement...which by definition describes _you_, not the villas."

I fought down my amusement at Irina's put out face and reached toward Alice with my left hand, "You okay Ali?"

"I'm good," she croaked with watery eyes after clearing her throat. "Don't know what happened…just went down the wrong pipe," she giggled with a hand on her chest, casting me a sly wink.

"Love, have I told you yet today how _very _much I love and adore you?" Edward grinned at me as he pulled his head back from my neck to gaze down at me.

He'd been a bit tense when we'd first arrived and he'd spotted Tanya, and I had initially worried over how he would fare through the remainder of the evening, but his tension had faded away quickly and transformed into sheer amusement at Rosalie, Alice, and my antics when interacting with the wicked witch of the west. Every time one of us botched her name, or gave her a backhanded compliment, he had to fight to hold himself together and not bust out laughing hysterically.

"Many...but I'll never tire of hearing it honey," I said as he tilted his head down for a kiss, completely impervious to the death rays shooting from bitchface's eyes at the pair of us.

"Oh man! What about that time you put that bucket of live crabs in the pool!" Emmett guffawed suddenly as he pointed at Demitri. The sound of his suddenly booming voice startled me and caused me to laugh as I broke away from Edward's soft lips.

Yeah...Em was a bit wasted and having a blast shouting out random memories from family reunions past. It was highly amusing.

"That wasn't _me _doofus! That was you!" Demitri yelled back as he and Kate laughed hysterically.

"Oh shit...was it really?" Em chuckled as he tried to think back. My _God_ was he tanked.

"Speaking of pools, if I recall, we had some pretty _steamy_ encounters in the campus pool," Tanya chimed in, winking at Edward and leaning forward slightly with an obnoxious smirk on her face.

I suppose she meant for it to only be heard by the three of us, some sort of retribution for all of my ring flaunting and name fudging, but her plan failed as the table suddenly went silent around us. Eyes from all around darting nervously between the three of us. I wasn't sure how much they'd heard, but some part of what she'd said had _definitely _caught their inebriated attention.

"Really?" Edward asked with an incredulous tone as he drew out the word and quirked a cocky eyebrow at her while tracing the rim of his margarita glass with his finger.

He was casually leaned back in his chair, with me tucked firmly into his side, and I wanted _so badly _to put her in her place, but one look at Edward's face told me to let him handle that one on his own as everyone continued to look on as if something cataclysmic was about to happen.

Her smirk grew into a devious smile as she nodded, obviously thinking he was going to play along. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from either calling her a whore right then and there or laughing my ass off in her face because his tone with that one word had said it all. She was completely full of shit.

"It appears you either have an overactive imagination...or you're remembering some other random _tryst _because we were never in a pool together. Ever," he said as he cast her a vicious look. I covered my mouth, but my snort was still as loud as anything in the silence that ensued just before Emmett burst out laughing at the look on Tanya's shocked face and nearly fell out of his chair. I wasn't sure if she was shocked by the fact that he called her out on her bullshit in front of everyone, or if it was because she honestly thought she was recalling their past intimacy accurately. Either way it was fucking hilarious.

"I suggest you get your facts straight before you spout inappropriate comments in the company of others," Edward said after tipping back the rest of his glass and dropping it to the table with a heavy thump.

"Everyone, it's been a true delight...well most of it anyway, but I'm afraid we're off for the evening. Em, Jas, ladies...see you at home," he said as he stood from the table, pulling me up along with him before he stepped over to shake Demitri's hand.

"Bella two, Wicked Witch zero…well played sister," Rose whisper chuckled as she hugged me.

"I learned from the best," I whispered back before pulling away and winking at her. I kissed Em and Jas on the cheeks - steadfastly ignoring the uncomfortably constipated look on the oompah loompah's bitchy mug - before stooping down to give Ali a one armed hug while standing behind her as she sat in her chair.

"Hey! Where the hell's _my _kiss?" Demitri mock pouted as he tapped his upturned cheek. I chuckled and walked around the table to plant one on him right where he was pointing.

"Mmm…Best lovin' I've had all week," he grinned as I pulled away.

"Oh gross!" I laughed as I swatted his arm and he cracked up.

"Demitri don't be a nasty shit," Kate chastised as she swung her arm out to the side and caught him right in the stomach, hard. He hunched forward with a breathless "oomph" as she chuckled and reached her arm up above her head. I stepped behind her and leaned down slightly to hug her much the same as I had Alice.

"I'm on kiddie duty in the morning at the pool, would you mind giving me a hand with them?" she asked as she tilted her head back as I stood.

"Of course not…what time?" I asked as I smiled down at her.

"Ten? Ten thirty maybe? I really have no idea," she snickered as she shook her head. "How's after breakfast sound?"

"I'll be there…you'll need the help. That little Vinnie can be a handful," I chuckled as Edward wrapped his arm around my waist.

With one last goodbye to everyone, we made our way out of the hut and headed for home. Edward was quiet, and quite tense, even as we made our way up to his room. I wasn't sure where Carlisle and Esme were, but it didn't appear as though they had returned home yet when we'd arrived. We made it into his room and I kicked off my shoes as Edward strolled into the bathroom wordlessly. I sighed as I sat down on the bed and let my hair out of the bun Rosalie had styled while I contemplated the best way to approach him.

I wasn't a fool, I knew what Tanya had tried to do was bothering him immensely. Hell, the tension was coming off of him in waves the whole ride home, but I wasn't sure what I could say or do to make it any better for him. Furthermore, I didn't exactly know what was bothering him the most about it. He hadn't allowed her to affect him all evening, not even when she tried - and failed I might add - to steer him away from the family so they could talk in private, but that one comment from her brought back every bit of tension and anger that he'd felt when she first stepped out of the limo.

Looking back, there were plenty of instances which could have caused him to stress out, but he didn't. I had no idea why that one comment was the final straw, and honestly, I was fearing that it was because it upset him that she confused him with another man she'd been with. The only thing I was sure of at that point, was that the damn silence between us was going to do far more damage than good if it continued.

With my mind made up, I lifted myself from the edge of the bed and padded my way into the bathroom. He was standing at the sink, bracing himself against it with his hands, hunched over and head hung low. I wrapped my arms around his waist and nuzzled my face into his back. He sighed and stood straight up, folding his arms over mine across his stomach and caressing my skin with his fingertips.

"Talk to me?" I asked quietly with a gentle squeeze. His head bowed down again as he brought my left hand up to his face and nuzzled it, kissing my wrist softly.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "You shouldn't have had to hear that…even if it wasn't true. It was obscenely disrespectful toward you and that pisses me off. I'll put up with her presence here and continue to be civil, but I _will not_ tolerate her upsetting you by trying to flaunt our sexual history in your face," he nearly growled.

"Wait…so you're only pissed because you think what she said upset me?" I asked in confusion as he turned in my arms and leaned back against the sink counter.

"Didn't it?" he asked just as confused as I had become.

"No," I laughed as his brow furrowed even further.

"Edward, look. She can say any damn thing she wants to. It doesn't matter because I know you love _me_, not her. That's all the knowledge I need to ignore anything she says or does. I'm aware of the fact that the two of you have a history, and intimacy was a part of that…," I paused as I brought my hands up to the sides of his face, "But that's just it, baby. It's all in _the past_," I stressed as I squished his cheeks together and he chuckled.

"Well…that is unless you still think about that part of your relationship with her," I smirked as I pulled my hands away.

"No! God, Hell no!" he exclaimed with a grimace, the sound of his voice echoing off the walls in the heavily tiled room as I laughed.

"So you _never_ think about it?" I chuckled in amusement as he grimaced again.

"No…frankly it wasn't all that memorable to start with, but aside from that, why in the _hell _would I think about _that_ when I can think about _you_?" he asked with a goofy smirk.

"Point taken," I nodded as I smiled up at him.

"So she was lousy in the sack huh?" I chuckled as I quirked an eyebrow at him. "Like how bad are we talking here? Just passionless or are we talking 'I'd rather hump my lumpy pillow' syndrome?" I asked as he busted out laughing.

God how I loved the sound of his laughter, so I tapped my chin pensively and continued, "Though with her inability to match settings with sexual partners I have to wonder if it was more of the whole throwing a hotdog down a hallway issue…but that doesn't make much sense since you're packed like a goddamn Mack truck south of the belt border."

"You're incorrigible," he laughed as he crashed his lips down onto mine and instantly started tickling the shit out of my sides.

"Okay okay okay!" I shrieked as I ripped myself away from his lips. "I'll be serious, I swear…maybe," I panted, still laughing breathlessly.

"So you really weren't bothered by what she said?" he asked as he pulled me back into his arms and swayed us from side to side.

"No," I smiled as I shook my head and started laughing again, "Besides, she made herself look like a complete skank. That in and of itself made it completely worth it…but what topped it off was the way Em damn near pissed himself at the look on her face after you pretty much verbally bitch slapped the shit out of her."

"That look was pretty priceless…though I don't think anything tops her "I gotta shit" expressions every time you botched her name," he chortled.

_Well so much for us being serious…_

"No, no, no…what about the look on her face when Rose asked her where she spray tans so she could find out how to get that _exact _shade of orange turned into paint for her next project car," I snickered.

"I must have missed that one," he chuckled, looking up as he tried to remember and shaking his head.

"Man…you missed out! That one tied right up there with Alice's 'Ohhh honey…no, no, no! That off the shoulder look just doesn't work on you. You need shoulders like _Bella's _to be able to pull that off. Keep the sleeves up dear, it'll help ya look less like a linebacker.'" I laughed, impersonating Alice's tongue clicking and sickeningly sweet and gentle tone as if she were speaking to a child when she adjusted the capped sleeves of Tanya's shirt.

At some point she had adjusted her sleeves to leave her shoulders bare and Alice and Rose were convinced it was because of Edward's inability to stop kissing and touching my own bare shoulders.

"What?" he cracked up, "Where was I for all of this?"

"I'm not sure…it might have been when you were dancing with Maddie…which was absolutely adorable by the way," I grinned, nearly swooning again at the image in my head of the two of them dancing together.

"No…adorable was Vinnie climbing into your lap with his little sippy-cup and falling asleep playing with your necklace," he grinned right back.

"What can I say?" I shrugged and chuckled. "I totally won him over by sneaking him little bites of Esme's cheesecake."

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish he was one of our own when I saw it," he murmured as he bent down to press his lips against mine. I sighed as our lips parted and his warm, wet tongue teasingly touched my own before he pulled back.

"We seem to have gotten way off track here," he chuckled as he stood up straight and ran his fingers through my hair as I whimpered.

"But I like the track we were on," I pouted.

"Me too, love. Trust me…there's nothing I want more right now than to be on you, under you, behind you, in you, hell anything as long as it's with you, _but_, I'd rather not have to resort to removing us from having a good time with everyone else in the event that something like tonight happens again, so how are we planning on dealing with her in the future? Just so we're on the same page here," he said and I nodded as I leaned up to kiss his chin.

"Well…I think that as long as _you _keep in mind that nothing she can say or do will upset me, and _I_ keep in mind that nothing she can say or do will take you from me…then we have nothing to worry about, so let's just ignore the hell out of the bitch and let her make a complete ass of herself while we have fun with our family," I said decisively as a slow grin spread across his lips.

"But! Don't expect me to stop fudging her name because her facial reactions are funny as all hell to me," I laughed as he continued to gaze at me with that goofball grin.

"Say that again," he said, his voice soft and filled with happiness.

"What? Don't expect me to stop fudging her name because her reactions entertain me?" I asked, amusedly confused.

"No…and for the record I wouldn't ask that of you because it amuses the shit out of me too…I meant the 'our family' thing," he said as he chuckled and his grin grew wider.

I bit my lip and smiled up at him, blushing slightly because I hadn't even realized I'd said our instead of your.

"Please? Say it again…for me?" he pleaded as he pulled my lip from my teeth with his thumb.

"Our family," I breathed then mashed my lips together, attempting to fight off the _ridiculously _stupid grin threatening to spread itself from ear to ear across my face.

"What? What was that? I couldn't hear you," he teased, cupping a hand around his ear.

"_Our _family," I laughed, the aforementioned grin ripping straight across my face the second the words were out of my mouth.

"_Damn right,_ baby. They're _our _family," he laughed, swooping me up in his arms and darting into the bedroom.

I squealed as he tossed me on the bed and paused only long enough to pull his button down shirt over his head before literally pouncing on top of me. His lips attacked my skin with vigor as he worked to free me quickly from Rose's sundress.

"Oops," he muttered, instantly pulling his head back the second a very distinct sound of fabric tearing ripped through the air. I just laughed at the sheepish expression on his face.

"Think she'll kill me?" he asked, grimacing slightly.

"I'll buy her a new one," I snickered as I pulled his undershirt over his head.

"Well in that case…" he trailed off with a devilish grin - right before tearing the damn thing right down the middle. I moaned loudly at his frenzied movements, quickly pushing the ripped sides of the dress away and not even bothering to unclasp my strapless bra, instead just yanking the front of it down to expose my breasts.

I pushed on his shoulder and he automatically rolled onto his back, pulling me right along with him. I quickly straddled his waist as he grabbed the sides of the dress and finished off the tear he'd started. I ripped it off and tossed it as I rocked against him, his warm hands gripping my hips and pushing me down further as he grinded himself back against me.

"Baby…honey…belt please," I sputtered impatiently as I fought to unclasp my bra. Stupid thing rolled up on itself when he yanked it down and I couldn't figure out which way to push or tug to get the stupid thing undone fast enough.

"Oh for shit's sake! Does this goddamn thing come with a 'How to Remove for Dummies' manual or some shit?!" I growled as I lost my patience and attempted to just pull the thing over my head while he laughed and made quick work of his belt, button, _and _zipper. _Damn showoff. _

Finally freed from the blasted bra, I scooted down his legs, dragging his pants and boxer-briefs down his legs as I went. His glorious erection sprung free from the tight confines of the fabric with a slap against his lower stomach that made him groan throatily and caused me to moan in response because it was the sexiest thing I'd ever heard.

"_Fuuuck_ baby," he moaned as I slowly slid down onto his length. I leaned forward, bracing myself with my hands on his chest and sighing in content at the sensation of being filled completely by him.

He pushed my hair away from my face and over my shoulders before sliding his hands down my chest, fondling my breasts lightly on their path toward my hips. The air around us was filled with the sounds of our mutual pleasure as he pushed and pulled, guiding us in our sensual dance.

"Bella…please, please, _please_, go off the depo shot," he panted suddenly, catching me so far off guard that I froze completely.

"What?" I breathed.

"Go off the shot love, I want the baby in your lap at the next family reunion after our wedding to be ours. I want it so bad, love. To see our perfect little baby swaddled in your delicate arms and know that he or she is _ours_," he repeated, his voice thick with emotion.

"Really?" I grinned, "You realize you'll have to wrap it up until we're married right?" I asked breathlessly as I started moving again.

"Shit…the pill…what about the pill? You can stop taking that at any time right?" he asked in short pants as he rocked his hips up in time with my undulating.

"Yeah…but…it might take a while…to wear off…and you'd still…have to…_God you feel so good_," I moaned loudly, unable to concentrate on anything but the sensations surging through me.

"Let it go and come back to me baby…I'm _far_ from done with you," he urged, lifting his hips in quicker succession. I gave in, slamming my hips down on him and rocking against him, giving myself the friction I needed to shatter above him as I cried out, drowning out his grunts as he pushed and pulled on my hips, intensifying and elongating my orgasm as he rode it out with me.

I collapsed against his chest, breathless and sweaty as he wrapped his arms around me and held me close.

"I love you, Bella…so much baby," he said softly, peppering my face with tender kisses as he rolled us and settled himself atop me. His arms hooked under my shoulders and his hands brushed the hair away from my face as he gazed down at me with love and desire filling his eyes.

"Please say yes, love," he murmured as he nuzzled into my neck, trailing soft kisses across my damp skin. "At least to the pill so you can stop taking it whenever you're ready to start trying."

He hadn't yet started moving within me again, probably giving me a moment of coherency with which to think through what he was asking for. My hands glided gently up and down his back as I tried to think it through rationally. My biggest concern was whether or not we would truly be ready for that kind of a step so soon after getting married. I knew I wanted a family with him someday, and we had joked around about it a bit, but I hadn't ever expected us to be seriously considering it so soon.

As he held me tightly and alternated between whispering how much he loved me, kissing my neck and shoulder, and reassuring me that he'd wait if I wasn't ready, I thought about how my childhood had been and questioned what kind of a parent I would be for my own kids. Renee hadn't always been the best role model for parenting, but she hadn't been altogether horrible either. Charlie was much the same, but I _had _been blessed with one person who had shown me with every one of her actions what it truly meant to be a good parent, a good mother. _My Grandmother. _

She had _always _been the epitome of what a parent should be - nurturing, loving, guiding, encouraging. She had always been able to walk the fine lines of parenting with near perfect grace. She was able to provide words of caution as well as words of comfort when I stumbled, able to keep me feeling safe and secure even while encouraging me to spread my wings and find my true self. Could I do that? Was I ready to provide all of that simultaneously for a child or children of my own?

My thoughts shifted from my own childhood to the hours we had spent packed under the thatched roof of Mezcalito's, to how _right_ it had felt when Maddie sat in my lap, and when Vinnie had fallen asleep in my arms. Edward had said that when he'd seen him sleeping in my arms that he'd wished he were our own…I didn't say it, but I had wished the same as I'd held his warm fragile little form.

I unconsciously smiled as that feeling of longing struck my chest again, tugging at my heart strings and giving me the only answer I'd ever need, and that answer was…

"Yes."

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**A/N: Rock the reviews peeps! I'm lovin' it! ~Jersey~**

**P.S. - ****Because so many of you are asking for a refresher on the whole Tanya/Edward thing...I'm gonna post an "interview" with Tikiward on the TOF forum as a recap for all of you. It'd be too much to add into an A/N and I'd rather not make an entire chapter out of his recollection of it, because that's exactly what it would turn into. An entire chapter of past emo-angst. So head on over there and check it out! For any of you who would rather just go back and re-read Edward's breezed over version of their relationship, check out chapter 6 for a quick refresher. **

**Here's a link to the forum thread where you'll find the "interview" LOL:**

http://www(dot)twilighted(dot)net/forum/viewtopic(dot)php?f=44&t=4115&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=tides+of+fate&start=650

**Just replace the (dot)s with a . in your web browser ^_^ Do not review this!!! This A/N will be removed and added to the next posted chapter. Thanks!**


	29. Cabana Daydreamin'

**A/N: Sorry this is a bit late, but RL is gettin kinda crazy for me right now. I started job #2 this week...and let's just say that working almost 80 hours a week and trying to sit and write every night on top of it...doesn't work very well. Bare with me through this month long training excursion. Once it's over my work schedule will back down to about 50-60 and I should be able to find some kind of writing routine. That's all I got for now. I'm totes mentally fried ATM. Laters!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own these characters...just a crazy ass work schedule!

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Cabana Daydreamin' **(UGH! This stupid chapter title won't center for me. I give up! Enjoy the chapter!)**

BPOV

I awoke just after nine Sunday morning somehow feeling like I was floating on cloud nine even though I'd only had about five hours of sleep. Edward and I had stayed up until the wee hours of the morning talking after making love. Since my next Depo shot was scheduled on the thirteenth of August - just a few days before I departed for my book tour - we decided that I'd make an appointment with my doctor as soon as I returned to Seattle to discuss alternative methods of birth control. Admittedly, neither of us were very knowledgeable when it came to the "how to-s" of transitioning between different methods, and we thought it best to know all of our options ahead of time so we could decide together which route to take before my next appointment.

Edward was adamant that he wanted to start trying for a child of our own on our wedding night. It made me laugh to see him so excited over the idea. Even my gently telling him that it might not happen right away - because I vaguely remembered them telling me during my first appointment that it could take up to a year or more for fertility to return in some cases after being on Depo Provera - wasn't capable of keeping his excitement at bay. Actually, my telling him that had absolutely no effect at all as he just rolled right on top of me and told me that it didn't matter because he'd never tire of the "trying" part. The man was living in the world of "Practice Makes Perfect" when it came to the prospect of getting me pregnant one day.

After finally pulling myself from the comfort of our bed, I showered quickly and got dressed for the day. I put on a white bikini that had a bright sky blue, black, and gray design on it, planning to wear it underneath my denim shorts and a white short sleeved button down shirt. Edward hopped into the shower as I stood at the sink, brushing my teeth and hair and covering myself from head to toe in sun block. I knew I'd be spending hours out in the sun with Kate and the kids, and even though I had acquired one hell of an awesome tan over the past few weeks, I didn't want to end up getting burnt…yet again. Missing out on all the fun activities was definitely _not _on my to-do list. When Edward finished with his shower, he got my back for me and then slapped my ass as he sent me on my way to finish getting dressed.

I tossed my shorts on with a pair of flip flops, threw my hair up in a messy bun to keep it from sticking to my neck, and tossed a few things in a knapsack - mainly my bottle of sun block, Edward's camera, my cell phone, and my book…just in case. Edward came out of the bathroom just as I was putting my shirt on and seeing that he was only wearing a pair of board shorts with a black tank top, I figured our dress-code for the day was casual enough to leave my top unbuttoned.

As we turned the corner into the kitchen, Alice busted out laughing as her eyes landed on us. Confused, I asked her what was so funny.

"I thought it might have just been a fluke that Jasper and I ended up matching today with our outfits, but then Rose and Emmett came down matching as well…and now the two of you! I swear it was like we planned it or something," she laughed, pointing between the six of us. I looked everyone over, including Edward and myself, and started laughing. It was completely true. We were perfectly matched by couple.

Edward's shorts were white with a splash of the same sky blue that was in my swimsuit in an emblem just under the black sprawling print across his left leg that said Billabong. Alice's white bikini with brown trim and bright orange and pink patterns matched Jasper's orange board shorts with the white and brown stripe down the side, and even Rosalie's blue, white, and green tie-dyed strapless bikini matched Emmett's…

"Em…what the hell are you wearing?" I asked, laughing as I focused on the designs on his blue shorts. There was some weird yellowish dude in a sombrero on his right leg and a giant skull and cross bones in vibrant colors on his left leg.

"They're _Ed Hardy_, Bells…and those crazy things," Rose scoffed as she pointed at his shorts, "are a _hell _of a lot better than what he walked out of the bathroom wearing this morning."

"I still don't see what was so bad about 'em Rosie," Em chuckled as she rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air.

"Emmett…They were covered in fucking beer bottles and cans!" she wailed. "You looked like a redneck! All you needed was big ol' Budweiser stamp on your ass, a stained shirt, and a can of beer in your hand to complete the look."

"You _still _have those?!" Edward guffawed as Jasper laughed hysterically and Emmett nodded with an amused grin.

'And _why_ do you have beer bottle swim trunks Emmett? I'm almost afraid to ask," Alice snickered from her perch on her chair at the kitchen counter.

"Well…you see, a few years back, I think it was right after you graduated college wasn't it?" he asked, looking over at Jasper as he nodded and chuckled.

"Anyway, Jasper here had come up to Seattle to visit me…right after 'Empty Pockets' took a wicked beating in a massive storm that hit the pacific northwest. The dock had broken apart with the massive swells and tore a big ass gaping hole in the hull of the boat…and she partially sank," he said, grimacing and shaking his head.

"To make a long ass story short…when he came up to visit me, I was holding myself up in one of our construction site trailers. He thought it was hilarious when he pulled up and I was sitting in a ratty ass lawn chair with various tools and pieces of my truck cluttering the ground around me, beer in my hand, wearing greased up holy denim shorts and a dingy cutoff t-shirt.

"Jackass turned right around and came back like an hour later with these fuckall hilarious swim trunks with beer bottles and cans all over them, looking like they were floating in water, and telling me something along the lines of 'If I'm gonna live like a hick, I might as well dress like one'," he explained as we all busted out laughing.

"I can't believe you bought those hideous things for him," Rose chuckled, shaking her head at Jasper.

"It was a joke! I didn't think he'd actually _wear _them," he laughed.

"Joke or not…I'm burning those suckers ASAP," she snickered as she rolled her eyes.

"Aw…come on babe. They have sentimental value to me. What if I just swear never to wear 'em in public?" Emmett pleaded as I leaned into Edward, shaking with laughter at the look on his face.

She eyed him for a minute with a quirked brow and pursed lips as he pouted at her. I knew he had won when her lips started quivering with her effort to not either smile or laugh at him and she finally rolled her eyes and cracked a smile.

"You're lucky I love you so damn much," she said as she shook her head. He crowed and victory punched the air before tossing her over his shoulder and slapping her ass as she tried to yell at him through her laughter.

"You guys ready to roll? I'm _starving_!" he exclaimed as he spun toward us with Rose draped over his shoulder.

We followed them over to the door leading into the garage after Alice ran up the stairs to grab her bag. When she came back down, she tossed me a pair of sunglasses as Edward disappeared down the hall. I wasn't sure where he'd gone, but he came back out a minute later, wearing sneakers and holding the flip flops he'd previously been wearing out to me.

"Can you put these in your bag so we can take the bike to the resort?" he asked. I grinned and nodded as I took them from him and stuffed them in my knapsack before tossing the straps over my shoulders and following him through the door.

I undid my bun and folded my hair into my helmet before climbing on the back of the bike behind Edward and wrapping my arms around him. Before he took off, he only gave me one warning…hold on tight. I just laughed and tightened my grip on his waist, knowing no matter what he did, he'd keep me safe.

Emmett and the others had taken off a few minutes before us, but we caught up to them quickly. The pair of them fooled around for a bit, Edward weaving back and forth behind the truck and Emmett sporadically braking and then taking off again. I thought they'd continue that way all the way up to the resort, but in a last second maneuver, Edward shot left and gunned the throttle, sending us flying past Emmett as he blared on the horn.

When we pulled up to the front of the resort, Edward hit the front brakes, sending the back of the bike - and me - up into the air. I shrieked as I clamped down on him with my arms and thighs, holding onto him with a death grip until the back of the bike bounced back down on the ground.

"EDWARD ANTHONY MASEN CULLEN! I DID _NOT _JUST SEE YOU PULL THAT KIND OF STUNT WITH BELLA ON THE BACK OF THAT BIKE!" Esme's both frantic and enraged voice cut through the air.

My head spun toward the sound of it, just in time to see her storming down the front steps in our direction as I reached up to pull my helmet off.

"What in the _hell _has gotten into you?" she yelled as he shut the bike off.

"Ma, calm down. I was just having a little fun. I knew what I was doing and she was perfectly safe," he chuckled innocently after pulling his own helmet off.

"Edward Anthony…that was neither safe nor fun…that was _dangerous_," she growled as she shook a finger at him before turning her gaze to me.

Her eyes softened instantly as they landed on me and she placed a hand on my shoulder, "Sweetie are you okay? He shouldn't do things like that when you're with him. He shouldn't do things like that _ever_, but he needs to be more careful than that with you."

My cheeks were warm and flushed from the burst of adrenaline…and hormones. Realizing I was turned on by the exhilarating ride only made me flush a darker shade of red as I snickered, "Yeah, I'm fine Esme. I swear."

"Okay," she said as she smiled softly at me and turned her attention back to Edward. "If I _ever _witness something like that again I will _personally _dismantle that deathtrap and scatter it across the Atlantic. Understood?"

I bit my lip to keep from laughing as he held his hands up in surrender and chuckled a quick "Yes Ma'am."

"Good. Now, I'm going with Carlisle and Eleazar to pick up Sasha and her family. _Behave yourselves_. I don't want to hear anything about people jumping from the buffet pavilion roof into the pool, or racing boats while pulling skiers or boarders or whatever you call yourselves behind them, and…where's Emmett?" she trailed off as she looked around. He just so happened to be pulling up to the resort at that very moment with his driver's side window rolled all the way down.

"Emmett!" she yelled. I think she startled him because he slammed on the brakes and whipped his head toward her as everyone else in the cab lurched forward laughing.

"What?! What'd I do?!" he cried out.

"No live crabs in the damn pool!" she yelled and I smashed my face into Edward's back as I shook with laughter.

"I'm serious! I want none of the usual pranks this year, do you understand me?" she continued, only making me laugh harder. God what the group of them must have put her through over the years for her come off so fiercely.

"Yeah, Mom…I got it. Ease up Sergeant Smackdown," he laughed as he shook his head and rolled up his window.

"Don't you start laughing, Edward dear. That brilliant wake boarding race idea was yours just a few years ago, and if I do recall, you shredded yourself pretty gruesomely on a reef," she chastised and then spun on her heel, muttering to herself.

"I swear the boy grows more like his father every year…may he have one just like him one day. Don't know how Lizzie did it without tearing her hair out…"

"Damn bro! What'd you do to get her panties in a twist? She was cool as a cucumber this morning," Emmett pressed as he strolled up to us, his hand linked with Rosalie's.

"I may or may not have popped the back of the bike in the air when we pulled in," Edward chuckled as he hung our helmets from the handlebars.

"Smooth move Captain _Nimrod_…you know she's already despised that bike since the day you bought it," Em grumbled.

"Cut me some slack will ya? I didn't _see her _when I pulled up. She must have seen it out her office window. If I'd seen her I wouldn't have done it jackoff," Edward griped as he took my hand and started walking toward the front steps.

As soon as we got into the lobby, my ears were assaulted by Irina's whiney ass voice complaining to the poor woman at the front desk about the water pressure in the showers being too harsh on her skin. Seriously, I was beginning to think the woman would complain about anything and everything just to have something to bitch about. I couldn't even begin to fathom how she'd become that way after being raised by Carmen and Eleazar who were both extremely friendly and polite people. Must have been a defective chromosome or something in her genes.

Tanya, of course, was standing off to the side, not really paying much attention to Irina's griping as she was solely focused on the delicious piece of man meat leading me through the lobby. _My _delicious piece of man meat.

"Good morning, Edward," she purred. He didn't even bother to look at her as he pulled me into his side, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and grinning down at me.

"Yes…it most definitely is," he chuckled as he bent his head down to press a quick kiss to my lips.

Someone snorted behind us, either Rosalie or Alice - I wasn't sure which, but it made me chuckle under my breath as he pulled back. I didn't even spare her a glance as we passed her.

"Have a fight with the hair dryer and lose this morning Tabitha?" Rose snickered.

"_It's Tanya_, and no…I didn't, but I see _you've_ been digging through the ninety nine cent retro bin at the Salvation Army with that sorry excuse for a swimsuit," she shot back as I turned my head to look back at Rose.

"_Ouch_," she laughed as she flipped her the bird and rolled her eyes. "Gonna have to try harder than that Orange Glow."

Edward and I laughed under our breaths all the way up to the buffet pavilion, listening to Ali and Rose mock Tanya. Rose's impersonation of Tanya's purr had me in absolute stitches as we grabbed plates at the end of the food service bar.

While we were eating, Demitri dropped in at our table, having just woken up and gone in search of food and coffee. It was rather amusing to see him stroll into the pavilion in his sleep shorts and nothing else, hair standing on end on one side and flattened against his head on the other.

"What the hell cuz? Ever hear of a shower?" Emmett laughed as Demitri plopped down in the chair right next to him.

"Food comes before appearances…always. You should know that by now," he chuckled before damn near chugging one of the two cups of coffee he had brought back with him.

We fell into easy conversation after that as we finished our meals. At some point, the guys decided they wanted to hit the water for a bit and do a little water skiing and wake boarding. I tried insisting that Ali and Rose go with them, thinking it would probably be more fun for them than spending the day at the pool with all of the kids like I'd be doing, but they insisted they'd rather stick with the screaming kids than the overload of testosterone that they'd be subjected to on the boat.

As I gathered my things to leave, noticing it was already almost eleven, I warned Edward to be careful out there and not to get any funny ideas in his head about racing. I _really _didn't like the mental image Esme had planted in my head of him hurting himself on a reef. He just smiled innocently and kissed the hell out of me before sending me on my way.

_Beautiful dumb bugger didn't listen to a word I said_… I thought as I shook my head and walked off toward the pool.

Kate was already there, waist deep in the water with a wailing Vinnie in her arms. I wasn't sure if he was scared of the water, just didn't like the water or what, but the sounds of his wails broke my heart. I quickly shed my shorts and shirt, tossing them on a lounge chair and tucking my flip flops and bag under it before slipping into the water. What happened next surprised the hell out of me.

Vinnie spotted me and nearly launched himself out of Kate's arms. I gasped and lunged for him, fearing he was going head first right into the water.

"_Day-ya_," he whimpered as Kate chuckled and righted him in her arms.

"Wow…you're a magical cure if I ever saw one," she snickered. "He's been wailing ever since Gianna dropped him off at the house this morning. I came here thinking maybe taking him in the pool would calm him down, but it didn't seem to be working until you showed up."

"You wanna go to Aunt Bella honey?" she cooed to him as I held my hands out for him.

"_Day-ya_," he whimpered again, twisting in her arms and reaching for me.

"Aww…come 'ere big guy," I said softly as I took him in my arms. "Was Aunt Kate being mean to you? Tell her…say 'Bad Aunt Kate'," I chuckled as I took his little hand and tapped her arm. He let out a garbled giggle, his throat still thick from crying.

"Where's Maddie and Gabriella's crew?" I asked curiously as I bounced Vinnie up and down in the water and then started making funny noises and faces at him. He giggled up a storm every time his little swimmer diaper swathed behind made a plop against the surface of the water.

"Maddie was making french toast with Mom when I left the house, so it's safe to say it'll be a while before she gets here," she laughed as she shook her head. "And Gabby said she'd drop her herd off around noon. They wanted to head into town this morning to get the kids new swimsuits or something. Did your gaggle leave you high and dry with me today?"

"No," I snickered, lowering myself into the water with Vinnie. "Rose and Ali should be here as soon as the guys take off for the water. I think they're just waiting for Demitri to change."

She gasped and covered her mouth before letting out a little giggle, "Oh God…he didn't show up in his pajamas did he?"

"Bed head and all," I snickered as I nodded.

"Day-ya bow!" Vinnie crowed and my brow furrowed. I got the "Day-ya" part, but the 'bow' was completely lost on me. Apparently I had to brush up on my baby blabber.

"What honey?" I asked, hoping I'd catch it the second time around.

"Bow! Bow!" he crowed again, using his little legs that were perched on my knees to make himself bounce….

_Oh! Bounce!…got it…_ I laughed mentally.

"Will you be okay with him here for a minute?" Kate asked. I smiled and nodded at her as I continued making funny noises and bouncing Vinnie up and down in the water.

"I'm just gonna run to get some floaties and pool toys and crap from the activity shack shed," she said quickly as she walked backwards toward the steps.

"Okay…we'll be right here," I laughed as he squealed.

She came back around the corner just a few minutes later, loaded down with inflatable tubes, a raft, foam noodles, and dragging a bag filled with neon toys.

"Need a hand?" I called out to her as she stopped on the ramp leading up from the beach to get a better hold on everything.

"Nah! I got it…I think!" she called back, laughing just as Ali and Rose came walking out of the buffet pavilion.

I called out to them to give Kate a hand since she didn't seem to be making out very well. In fact, she was dropping more things than she was taking steps forward. When they finally made it back to the pool, they tossed the raft, tubes, and noodles into the pool and Kate dumped the bag of toys out onto a lounge chair.

We had only been lounging around in the water talking for about five minutes when Edward came jogging up.

"Hey baby…where's your bag? I need my flip flops. I don't wanna get my sneakers all wet," he said as he knelt down at the edge of the pool and grinned down at Vinnie and me.

"It's under the chair where my clothes are," I said as I made my way over to the pool edge and tilted my head up for a kiss. He pulled away, grinning like a fool at me again and held his hands out to Vinnie.

"Hey buddy, wanna come to Uncle Eddie?" he asked in an adorable voice.

"No!" he blurted, hiding his face in my neck and clamping his chubby little legs down on my side.

"Won him over with Esme's cheesecake huh? I think you're full of…_dook_," he chuckled and I laughed at his pausing to censor himself. He leaned down for another kiss before standing and turning to fish my bag out from under the chair.

"Day-ya bow!" Vinnie chirped again as he wiggled against my hip.

"I think I've created a _monster_…_grrrr_," I growled playfully as I looked down at him and tickled the side of his belly, getting him to squeal with laughter.

"Alright…I'm outta here. Have fun ladies! Love you baby!" Edward called out as he stood from the chair and winked at me before making his way toward the ramp down to the beach.

"No funny business out on the water!" I yelled out after him. His shoulders shook with laughter as he spun around and waved, "Yes _dear_!"

"Smart butt," I muttered as I waved back.

"Bella? What in the world was that grin on my cousin's face a minute ago all about?" Kate asked with a suspicious brow quirked at me as she pointed toward where he'd been sitting on the chair while changing his shoes.

"What grin?" I asked and then laughed hysterically along with Rose and Ali as she mimicked it damn near perfectly.

"Is there something you're not telling us?" she asked as her brow quirked again. "I've seen a lot of different expressions on that man's face over the years…but _that _one was definitely a first for him."

I bit my lip as I looked at the three of their incredibly curious faces, a wide grin spreading across my lips.

"Second, well maybe third…Then again…that might still be the first one, I'm not sure. It was on his face when he fell asleep and it was still there when he woke up…so it might still be the first," I rambled, amused beyond belief.

"Ohhh, this oughta be good. Spill it Swan!" Rose laughed.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure as to how they'd react to our rather sudden decision. Honestly though, it was Rose's reaction that I feared the worst. While I'd come to the realization that I was both ready and longing to be a mother, I really wasn't ready to have someone, much less someone I considered my best friend and big sister, telling me that I had finally lost my last marble or something along those lines.

I'd spent years laughing at the idea of me ever having children while adamantly claiming I wanted no part of ever being a mother. Even I'd have to agree with her that my decision seemed rather irrational and too spur of the moment to be well thought through and be capable of being considered even relatively sane, regardless if I knew without a doubt that it was what I wanted.

"Well, um, you see…last night we, uh, talked about…tryingtostartafamily," I speed blurted.

"What?!" "When?!" "NOW?!" they all shrieked at the same time, and I cringed slightly.

"We talked about having kids of our own, and _no _we're not going to start trying right now, we plan on trying after we're married," I replied somewhere between hesitant and defensive, answering all of their questions at once.

"Oh thank _G_od!" Alice exclaimed in relief. "I would have been plotting your death a thousand times over if I had to try and design a wedding gown around your constantly growing prego belly," she laughed, her words washing a wave of relief over me. That was…until I looked at Rosalie's face.

Her lips were pursed to the side, one brow raised and her eyes focused solely on me.

"Rose," Alice said gently as Kate watched on in confusion.

Uncomfortable with the stale and tense silence that had fallen upon us, I shifted little Vinnie in my arms, settling him in front of my chest and granting me a moment away from her incessant gaze.

"Bella?" her voice beckoned me. Tentatively, my eyes raised to meet hers once again, but where I thought I'd bare witness to some form of reproachful expression…there was none. Instead, the corners of her lips slowly began to creep up into a smile.

"I'm…confused. You're _happy_ about this?" I questioned, almost positive that I'd entered some parallel dimension at some point within the last minute or so.

"Happy? Christ woman! I'm freaking _ecstatic_!" she crowed excitedly, leaving me in a befuddled stupor as Alice and Kate began snickering.

"Bells…Jesus…do you know how long I've worried about what you'd miss out on in life because of your avulsion to motherhood? You've always had this asinine idea that you'd be an unfit mother or something just because of Renee's lack in parenting skills…and _look at you! _You're a friggen natural!" she ranted excitedly.

I just laughed, realizing how stupid it was of me to worry over her reaction when I should have known she would have been the first one to support my decision. She'd wanted to have kids of her own for as long as I could remember. I couldn't even begin to count how many times she'd made me "play house" with her when we were kids, always making me play the part of the working husband so she could be the doting mom. It was completely ridiculous, especially considering she'd always make me don one of her father's dress shirts and ties that always made me trip because they hung down nearly to the floor.

Shortly after I had finished explaining all that Edward and I had discussed to them, Felix and Julie arrived with Maddie. She was so excited they had a hard time getting her little swimmies on her arms with all the jumping around and squirming she was doing. In her little mind, she couldn't get into the pool with us fast enough, safety floatation devices and sun block be damned.

No sooner than Julie had stood, giving Maddie the okay, did she jump right off the edge of the pool and into the water. She laughed as she kicked her little feet in the water and paddled her way toward us, occasionally swiping at the wet curls sticking to her face. I laughed when she told me I should have come to her Nana's for "bweakfast" because she made "fwench toast", and told her that next time she should save me a piece because it sounded delicious.

An hour later, we found ourselves literally surrounded by kids…and Tanya and Irina. What brought them down to the pool after they'd seen just how wild and loud all the kids were together, was beyond my scope of comprehension, but their attitude toward the little ones was rapidly boiling my blood. They could have just as easily gone down to the beach rather than the pool if the noise and craziness bothered them so damn much.

Around one, Kate and Alice made a run up to the buffet pavilion to grab some lunch for the kids. They came back with platters of simple sandwiches and a giant bowl of cut up fruit. Simple easy finger food was definitely the way to go with this on the go crowd. While I sat and ate, breaking off little pieces of my food for Vinnie and laughing at the face he repeatedly made with the little bits of pineapple, Alice and Rose took to taking hundreds of pictures between Rose's and Edward's cameras. I'm talking pictures out to wazoo here. Pictures of kids doing canon balls and belly flops into the pool, the kids and Alice making human pyramids, Kate and Rose playing chicken with kids on their shoulders in the pool…and so many more I couldn't even begin to recollect.

By two, between Irina's bitching and Tanya's annoyed scowls, I was on the brink of holding both of their heads under the surface of the water…indefinitely. It seemed Kate, Rose, and Ali were only two seconds behind me in the plotting of their demise as well. We'd _tried _to just ignore them, we really did, but those two wenches made it an _impossible_ feat to accomplish for any longer than the two hours, give or take, that we'd already endured them.

"You know," Rose growled angrily, unable to take it anymore as she glared at the pair of them. "There _is_ another pool at the resort, and _miles_ of pristine white beach for you to get lost on if being _here_ bothers you so damn much."

"Who asked you, _Pop Tart_?" Irina scowled as she got up off her lounge chair, grabbing only her towel and heading further down toward the deep end so she'd stop getting splashed, Tanya following right behind her like a retarded dog.

"Speaking of Pop Tarts…I'd lay off em if I were you, that cellulite on your ass and thighs is gonna be hell to get rid of," Rose quipped, causing Irina's step to falter and she nearly fell in the pool.

"Rose!" I chastised, but was unable to reign in my laughter.

"What?" she asked with an innocent expression as she whirled toward me. "It's true!"

"Watch your mouth!" I laughed, pointing at all the kids. Hell I didn't care what she said to them as long as she censored herself in front of the little ones.

"Oh…_oops_," she grimaced slightly. I just shook my head as I made my way out of the pool.

"You guys want anything to drink? I'm gonna run down to the bar and fill up the kids' sippy cups," I asked as I toweled off. They replied that they were fine and went back to "judging" two of the older kids' underwater handstands. I'm not even sure any of the three of them knew what they were supposed to be judging them on, not that I knew either, because they just kept yelling "Ten! Perfect Ten!" every time one of them resurfaced.

Vinnie and Maddie were sitting under the shade of one of the umbrellas, playing quietly together while the other kids were still jumping in and out of the pool and thoroughly engrossed in their game of _Marco Polo_. Sasha's three kids had joined in not long before, only adding to the noise and chaos erupting around us, but overall it was enjoyable to watch them all having so much fun together.

"Bewwa…can I go back in da poow now?" Maddie asked sweetly as I rang my hair out and put it back up in a bun. Kate and I had made her sit out for a while after she and Vinnie had eaten lunch, fearing that jumping right back into the pool might somehow make them feel ill.

"Sure honey, let's get your swimmies on first though, okay?" I told her as I sat down on the edge of a chair. I helped her slip them on her arms and told the girls to keep a good eye on Vinnie before I left since he was sitting by himself playing with some of the diving sticks.

As I walked down to the bar, I ran into Heidi and greeted her politely. She struck up easy conversation with me, mostly asking about Edward's and my wedding plans as we waited for our drink orders to be filled. I told her about what little we'd planned so far, mostly just the where and general idea of when.

"Who was that woman giving you the stink eye yesterday? There's something wrong with that one…I don't like her. Not one bit," she said suddenly. I snorted as I rolled my eyes and let out a light chuckle.

"That would be Tanya, Edward's ex from nearly a decade ago. I'm not a fan either, naturally, and yes…there definitely _is _something wrong with her," I laughed in amusement at the surprised look on her face.

"Well she better mind her p's and q's. That behavior she exhibited yesterday won't fly around here," she said as she shook her head.

I chuckled, but just as I was about to reply, the wench's shrill voice cut through the air and my blood turned to ice.

"YOU LITTLE BRAT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY PHONE?!"

"_Oh god_," I gasped, pushing myself away from the bar and running as fast as I could back toward the pool.

I ran up the ramp just as she ripped the phone from Vinnie's tiny hand and a blood curdling wail erupted from him and darted right past Kate and Alice who were just pulling themselves out of the pool. I didn't even stop to think about what I was doing. I didn't give it a second of contemplation as I rammed myself right into the bitch's back and knocked her straight into the pool, phone in hand and all.

I was seething as I stood at the edge of the pool, ready to dive in and drown her ass for making that poor baby cry the way he was. If it wasn't for his still wailing little form attaching himself to my leg, I very well may have.

"You _bitch_!" she sputtered as she surfaced.

"Come 'ere wee man," I sighed, lifting him into my arms before training my fiery on her.

"_What _is _wrong_ with you?! You don't treat kids that way!" I yelled at her.

"He was scratching up my phone! Which is now ruined thanks to _you_!" she wailed.

"Serves you right! !t was your own fault anyway for leaving your bag within his reach!" Kate piped in, scowling viciously.

"My fault?! You idiots should have been watching him better!" she screeched, pointing accusing sausage-like stubs in our directions. I just rolled my eyes, knowing the blame game was going to get us nowhere anytime soon.

"Do yourself a favor _Tricia_," I warned, holding Vinnie tightly to me in an effort to soothe him, "Keep yourself away from Edward, away from my friends, and away from _MY _family."

"Keep thinking they're _your _family little girl. They won't be for very long," she sneered as I shushed and rocked Vinnie in my arms, a vicious little smirk appearing as she flicked her hair over her shoulder and shot a glance at Irina.

"_Why you little_.." Rose started, only to be cut off by a pissed off, screaming Kate.

"If you think your freakin' over-tanned and under-classed piece of trailer trash ass will _ever _be a part of _this _family, you're out of your friggen mind!" Her voice so loud it completely drowned out whatever it was that Irina had spouted off as she repositioned herself on her chair.

I swear if it didn't involve her or her own discomfort, she couldn't have given a flying shit. She certainly didn't seem too fazed by her damn _friend_ mouthing off to her family, or vice versa.

"Rose, Kate stop! It's okay…let her think what she wants," I rolled my eyes as I started to walk away.

"Face it _Becky_, you've known him a few _weeks_. I was with him for two _years_. You're just a fling…he'll realize what he's missing out on and drop your ass faster than you can turn your head," she snickered maniacally. I stopped and turned, grinning wickedly at her.

"That's pretty funny, _Tula_," I laughed sardonically, "because last I heard, anything he had with you was…how did he put it?" I paused dramatically, tapping my chin and looking toward the sky before looking back over at her and smirking. "Oh yeah…_Less than memorable_."

"Ooohhh…tssss _OW_! Betcha _that _burns!" Rose guffawed as Tanya's face fell and Ali and Kate busted out laughing.

I turned again, shushing and murmuring gently to Vinnie, only to come face to face with Heidi, nearly crashing right into her.

"Kate," she said, smiling down at me and running her fingers through Vinnie's short curls. "Take the kids to the other pool will you? I have a few choice words that need to be said that they shouldn't hear."

There wasn't a hint of malice in her voice, but her eyes flashed with a terrifying degree of anger.

"No one, and I mean _no one_, speaks to a member of _our_ _family_ that way," she whispered to me as she patted my cheek.

"Sure thing Aunt Heidi," Kate replied with a nod as she quickly ushered the kids out of the pool. They quickly gathered their belongings and hurried past us, making their way over to the second pool.

"Run along now, honey, and put that lil guy down for a nap soon. He looks to be needing one," she smiled, the ice cold hardness in her eyes betraying her soft tone.

"Heidi, it's okay really. You don't…"

"No, it most certainly is _not _okay. And Bella? For future references, it's _Aunt _Heidi," she said with a wink before stepping away from me and heading down toward the deep end of the pool.

The last thing I heard from that general direction as I walked away was a vicious "Sit your asses back down!"

Hell it even made me jump and quicken my steps. She hadn't been kidding around when she said behavior like that didn't fly around here, and I for one, wasn't about to ever even _think_ of putting myself in their current positions. Between Esme, Diane, and now Heidi, if there was one thing I could say with absolute certainty, it was that the women in this family were _fierce_, and most definitely a force to be reckoned with.

By the time I'd made it to the pool where the others had reconvened their prior activities, Vinnie's crying had subdued to just random sniffles as he sucked on his sippy-cup, and my own surge of emotions had faded, leaving me feeling drained of energy. I grabbed a dry towel off of one of the lounge chairs and made my way over to one of the four cabana loungers built for two. The backs of them were already set at a comfortable slight incline, enabling me to coddle Vinnie in my arms in the shade while still being able to help keep a watchful eye over the other kids running about by propping my head up with the towel.

After changing him into a clean diaper and leaving him in just that, I listened in as the girls laughed over what Heidi was probably saying to Tanya and Irina, but didn't add in any commentary. I didn't want to startle the baby as he seemed to be starting to fall asleep, his sippy-cup dropping every once in a while and his eyes darting back open but not focusing on anything as he brought it back up. I kissed his forehead and helped him hold it up as I hummed lightly to him, figuring once he was asleep I could remove it from his hand easily.

It wasn't long after that, that I was able to set the cup off to the side and settle him in more comfortably against my chest, and soon found myself fighting to keep my own eyes open.

"Bewwa?" Maddie's soft little voice spoke and my eyes shot open and focused on her.

"Yeah honey?" I asked, fighting off a yawn.

"Can I way wif you?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Sure sweetie, climb on up," I said as I patted the spot next to me.

She climbed up and curled up right against me, hugging my arm.

"Hang on munchkin, sit up for a second," I said, pulling the towel from behind my head. I folded it in between my arm and the side of my chest and motioned for her to lay back down. She curled back in, resting her head on the makeshift pillow as I wrapped my arm around her and within minutes she was out like a light…with me not far behind.

I'm not sure if I was dreaming, or if I was just barely awake, but I could have _sworn_ I felt a fourth person climb into the lounger at some point during our mid-afternoon snoozefest.

"Unca Eddie?" a soft sleepy voice whispered.

"Shh, go back to sleep princess," his familiar whisper replied. I tried to open my eyes, but found it damn near impossible to do.

"Did you have fun?" I asked, my voice a hoarse whisper.

"Yeah…it was a blast," he said softly, shifting around on the lounger's mattress.

"Are you in one piece?" I croaked again, barely coherent. He chuckled lightly and brushed a kiss to my lips.

"Completely unscathed, baby. Go back to sleep, Bella. I love you," he whispered, his breath fanning my lips before placing another soft sweet kiss against them.

My heavy eyelids opened just long enough to see Vinnie still sprawled across my chest with my arm wrapped under his bottom, Edward with his head resting on his raised arm, Maddie tucked into his chest with her back against it, and her arms once again wrapped around my arm.

"I love you too," I mumbled, my eyes fluttering closed and my exhaustion pulling me under quickly.

Everything in my world was blissfully perfect.

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**A/N: Leave some lovely reviews! They make me want to stay up late and write when I should be sleeping. Meh...who needs a fully mentally functioning x-ray tech anyway, right? No srsly...you guys are awesome. You've been blowing me away with your responses. I love it! Thanks a million! ~Jersey~**


	30. The Lion's Den

**A/N: Sorry this chap took so long to get out, but it's huge and it was like pulling teeth to write. I re-wrote it probably 3 different times until it got to the point where I was satisfied with it. Hope you enjoy it as well! Thanks so much to all of you who reviewed last chapter! You guys are overwhelming with your enthusiasm, but it's just what I need to keep going when I'm dead tired ^_^. Big thanks to Juliebly who talked me through all of my insanity while writing this chapter...she pulled me back from massive fail more times than I can count. Love ya hard bb!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. We all know this by now ^_^

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The Lion's Den **(I give up on centering this title thing..FF just does NOT want to work with me on this matter any longer. Humph!)**

EPOV

The last thing I remembered from Sunday afternoon before falling asleep, was finding my Bella fast asleep in one of the cabanas, with baby Vinnie and little Maddie snuggled into her. I can't even begin to say what that sight did to me. It damn near brought tears to my eyes, envisioning them being our children wrapped in her soft arms fast asleep with her.

I knew once we started trying for children of our own that it might take a while to conceive, that there was a good possibility she would remain infertile for quite some time after stopping the treatments. I'd known that before she even told me what she remembered being told when she'd started receiving the injections, it was the main reason I'd asked her to go off of it so soon. Gianna had been on it before she and Dominic had gotten married and they'd had a hell of a time conceiving Vinnie. She'd been worried they'd never be able to have kids when almost two years of trying had passed and they still hadn't gotten pregnant. It sent her into a horrible depression, which was something I worried greatly would happen to Bella as well.

Call me overprotective for not wanting her to ever have to experience something like that, but the fact is, it wasn't my only reason for asking her to stop treatments now. I really do want the next baby in her arms at the first family reunion after our wedding to be _ours_ and I just figured if she went off of it now, it could actually be a viable possibility. Some may think I'm insane for thinking of having children so early in our relationship, or for _wanting _children so soon, but what can I say? Every time I look at my Bella, I see everything I'd both lost and dreamed of one day having again.

As I silently crept toward the cabana, Kate made some smartass comment about me being a lovesick fool and I stealthily flipped her the bird, making sure none of the kids saw me. She gasped and launched a water bomb - one of those neon spongey Nerf ball things - at my head and laughed as I dodged it easily. Girl had the aim of a blind hundred year old hag…at least when she was throwing things that weren't her fists anyway.

I don't think I lasted a full five minutes once I'd settled in behind Maddie and closed my eyes after kissing Bella before falling asleep. I was _exhausted_ from our late night and then hitting the water with the guys. All the excitement and adrenaline had worn my ass out, leaving me with the single afterthought of '_I'm getting too old for this shit._'

Unfortunately, the absolute perfection I'd fallen asleep to was _not _what I woke up to.

"JESUS CHRIST!" Bella gasped and then shrieked, sending both herself and me jolting forward as a freaking tidal wave of water crashed down over us.

"WHAT THE FU…dge," I trailed off, my voice lowering drastically as I caught the obscenity just about to burst from my mouth, just barely.

"Emmett you….darn twizzle stick!" she hollered at him as she belted him with a wet towel.

"Ow, OW, OOWW! Crap, crap, crap!" he wailed, his arms flailing as his foot hit the edge of the pool while backing away from her and he lost his balance, sending his fully clothed ass into the pool.

"Emmett!" Rosalie yelled just as he hit the water. "Oh, for the love of God!"

I grunted in annoyance as I brushed water off my chest and shorts and flopped back against the mattress. I would have been perfectly content sleeping for another hour…or straight until the next morning.

"What did I tell you?!" she yelled at him as he resurfaced, her heels clicking against the concrete as she stormed over to where he was bobbing in the water.

"You told me to wake them up…so I did!" he laughed as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Rose…where are Vinnie and Maddie?" I asked, looking around but not seeing them.

"They were picked up about an hour or so ago while you two were knocked out," she said, only turning to face me briefly before looking back toward the pool.

"I'm gonna kill your brother," she grumbled as she curled into my side while Rose continued to yell at Emmett about needing to go back to the house to shower and change again.

"Let Rose do it so we can go back to sleep. I was perfectly happy ten minutes ago," I mumbled, my cheek resting against the top of her head and my eyes closed again.

"That sounds wonderful, but…I somehow don't think that's an option," she said as she tapped my chest.

"Why not?" I asked as I cracked my eyes open down at her. She was pointing toward the edge of the cabana behind me. I turned slightly to see what she was pointing at and was met by Felix and Demitri, both sporting devious grins and holding buckets of water.

"Morning sunshines!" Demitri chuckled. "Have a nice catnap?"

"Don't even think about it," I growled as their grins went from devious to straight wicked. They tilted their heads to look at each other and I shot forward, scrambling while telling Bella to move. It didn't do either of us any good as two more buckets of water came pouring down on us. _Freezing cold water._

"Ohhhh," I chuckled darkly as I spun around on the lounger pad. "You two are dead meat."

They took off running, dropping their buckets and laughing as I launched myself out of the cabana after them. Those stupid pricks had put _ice_ in their buckets, showering us not only with frigid goddamn water, but pelting us with the damn chunks of ice as well.

Demitri dodged right toward the ramp but Felix, with me hot on his heels, tried his hand at hoisting himself over a railing onto the beach, only to catch his foot on the top rail and belly flop down onto the sand.

"Not so agile anymore are ya old man?" I laughed, landing feet first next to him as he scrambled to try and get up. Swiftly, I swung my arms under his from behind him and locked my hands together behind his neck. "Shall I dig up a walker for ya?"

"Old man," he scoffed, trying to get out of my grasp. "You're older than I am ya flippin' geezer."

"Bella! Get the hose! Hurry!" I hollered as he struggled.

"Shit! Come on Edward! I'm sorry! We were just messin' around!" he pleaded, upping his effort to get away from me.

"Awww…is big bad Felix afraid of what his wife will do?" I teased as Bella came up to the rail, hose in hand with a devilish smirk on her face.

"Damn right I am! And you'll be afraid of her one day too!" he laughed, trying to point up at Bella while still struggling against me.

"You're not really gonna soak me, are ya honey?" he asked, ceasing his futile struggle and trying to lay the charm on her.

"Depends…you plannin' on giving us another ice bath anytime soon?" she asked as she quirked a brow at him.

"I swear…no more waterfall wake up calls," he replied, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Good to hear," she laughed as she pulled the trigger on the hose. He groaned as his head dropped and his muscles all went slack and I let go of him.

"Thanks for that sweetheart. I'm now an almost thirty year old man that has to explain to his wife why it looks like he went and damn pissed himself," he chuckled, trying to brush the water off his slacks.

Not having a clue as to where Demitri had run off to, I gave up on chasing him and helped Bella gather her belongings while Felix booked it back to his villa to try and change real quick before Julie could catch sight of him. Because he'd soaked himself to the bone, Emmett had to resort to driving a damn golf cart back to the house to shower and change again, much to Bella's and my amusement as I repeatedly darted past him on the bike then slowed til he caught up again.

"Come on Van Wilder! Put the metal to the pedal in that jalopy!" I yelled at him through my laughter.

"Fuck off dickwad!" he boomed back as he swerved at us. I veered away from him easily as I laughed and took off for the house.

Bella and I were still laughing over how ridiculous Emmett looked driving a golf cart down the road when we entered the house and were suddenly standing in the middle of a giant scene of mass confusion. There were boxes, clothes, ripped open and empty plastic packaging bags and just crap _everywhere_ in the living room. All scattered around three ironing boards.

_What in the hell is going on?…_

"Oh good! You're finally back. I need you to give me a hand with this," Esme said breathlessly as she hustled past us, shoving a rather large box in my arms as she went.

"Not that I mind helping or anything," I chuckled as Bella and I followed behind her, "But what exactly are you doing?"

"Making new family shirts…what does it look like?" she responded as she tore into the box I had placed down on one of the couches.

"What's wrong with our old ones?" I asked, wondering why she'd be going through all the trouble to make new ones.

"Nothing at all," she smirked sarcastically as she looked up at me, "…except that Emmett doesn't fit in his old one, Jasper can't find his, and I threw yours out because of that damn burn hole it had from Demitri hitting you with a Roman candle."

"Okay, point taken…so the three of us needed new shirts, but that doesn't explain why you're making new shirts for _everyone_," I countered as I held up a Mezcalito shirt with Felix's name on the left breast, right below a miniature version of their family crest.

"Edward Anthony," she chastised as she ripped the shirt from my hands. "I can't very well just make new shirts for the six of you and not for everyone else because that wouldn't be fair."

"Six of us?" I asked confusedly and she rolled her eyes at me as Bella gasped.

"You honestly didn't think I'd overlook making the girls their own shirts did you? And Bella, dear, don't look so shocked. You girls are just as much a part of this family now as they are," she said, pointing at me, "So you can look just as ridiculous in these getups as the rest of us."

"How can I help?" Bella asked, clearing her throat and giving Esme a watery smile. Esme just patted her cheek while smiling warmly at her and then tilted her head to look at me.

"Don't worry about this mess, Diane, Heidi, and Charlotte will be coming over to help me get all these finished for tomorrow. I just needed to know which name and crest you wanted on your shirts," she said, nodding slightly at me as her voice quivered with emotion.

I wrapped her in my arms, fighting back the moisture that had sprung in my own eyes. She'd never really grasp how much it meant to me, that even after all these years, she kept my family name alive in everything she did. And while there was a part of me that missed sporting my own name on my shirt, showing my "Masen clan pride" as my father had always boasted, I'd found that over the years, sporting the Cullen name during these gatherings provided me with a sense of unity rather than solidarity. While I was no longer alone, as I had Bella and no longer felt as though I were an outsider in my own family, I wasn't ready to give up that feeling of being united with those surrounding me.

"Cullen, Ma…I'll _always_ be just as much a Cullen as I am a Masen," I told her, giving her a quick squeeze before letting her go.

"Yes, you are, and you always were honey. Okay, run along now and let me get started in on this mess," she chuckled, wiping away at her eyes with one hand and shooing us away with the other.

"Are you sure you don't need any more help? I don't mind," Bella offered again.

"I'm sure sweetheart. Now shoo, go get showered and dressed and have a lovely evening with everyone," she insisted, waving us away once more.

"You ladies lay off the wine tonight," I laughed, remembering how some of our shirts in the last batch had some awfully crooked lettering…mostly the ones they'd ironed the decals onto after demolishing a few bottles of aged wine from Uncle Aro's Tuscany vineyard. He brought a case with him as a gift every time he visited, and it was some pretty _potent _stuff. Delicious, but it'd knock you on your ass faster than you knew what hit ya.

"Just for that I'm letting Heidi do your shirt, you snot nosed brat," she laughed as she tossed a shirt at my head while we were walking away. I ducked away from it and hurried Bella towards the stairs so we could shower.

"Oi Lucita! Eu necessito um favor, por favor," I heard Esme's voice float through the air just as we'd hit the fifth step, followed shortly by Emmett barreling into the house.

I briefly wondered what favor she needed from Lucita, a woman who owned a little clothing boutique in the middle of the island, but figured it couldn't be all that important if she hadn't asked me to run and fetch something for her, so I shrugged it off and continued making my way up the steps with Bella.

"I can't believe Esme is making us team Cullen shirts," Bella mused as she shampooed her hair. I scooted by her in the shower to rinse my own hair and chuckled.

"Would you have rather she made you all team Swan, Brandon, and Hale shirts instead?"

"No! Not at all…it's just…heartwarming that she'd include us into your family tradition when she's only known us for like a week," she said, her soapy hands landing on my chest with her instant exclamation. Her eye squinted as soap began to slide down her forehead and into her eye as she spoke.

"Come here," I chuckled as I wiped away at the suds and guided her under the stream of water.

"She's not including the three of you as a polite gesture, love," I told her as I ran my fingers through her hair, rinsing out the shampoo. "She meant what she said when she told you the three of you are just as much a part of this family as we are. You've all endeared yourselves to her and there's no taking that back. You're a Cullen in her eyes regardless if we're married yet or not."

"I know she meant it…that's the scary part. You're family is so readily accepting of all of us, welcoming us with open arms and all. It makes me worry about how much harder it'll be for you to gain acceptance into my family compared to how easy it was for me with yours," she said with a slight frown.

"Baby, your grandmother adores me. I've already won half the battle and I haven't even met your family face to face yet. Your father can throw his worst at me, but I'm not going anywhere. I can promise you that much," I assured her, dipping my head down to kiss her as I reached behind her to shut the water off.

I couldn't deny that it'd take a shitload of stress off my shoulders if Charlie accepted me as easily as everyone in my family had her, but if I needed to work for that acceptance, than so be it. She was worth every bit of whatever I'd go through to achieve it in the long run.

We dried off and dressed quickly before meeting back up with Emmett downstairs and hightailing it back to the resort…in the damn golf cart. I wanted to take the bike with Bella, but after a little persuading from Emmett to let loose and tip a few back with him while we had the advantage of designated drivers in the form of Felix and Dominic, I begrudgingly crammed myself and Bella into the front seat of the stupid thing. And lemme tell you, by the end of the night, I was awfully glad I had.

What had started out as having a few drinks and hitting up the dance floor, quickly turned into a testosterone fueled night of utter debauchery. Bella, Alice, and Rosalie laughed their asses off at us as we stumbled out of the club, arm in arm and singing at the tops of our lungs. What a sight Jasper, Emmett, Demitri, and I must have been. I can't really say, because I only remember bits and pieces of it on top of what Bella so very amusedly reminded me of the following morning.

Waking up with a hangover and hearing about how the four of us had stripped down to our underwear and jumped into the pool upon returning to the house, was _not _as amusing to me as it was to her. Absolutely _mortifying_ was more like it.

It did, however, explain why I'd woken up completely naked but not remembering how I'd gotten that way, and hoping like hell I hadn't been so wasted that I couldn't remember having had sex the night before because screwing myself out of _that_ particular memory would have sent my ass into lifelong sobriety in an instant. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you looked at it, I was both relieved and dismayed to hear that I'd pretty much passed out just seconds after shedding my wet shorts and collapsing on the bed.

"I'm sorry," I croaked, my throat dry and my voice gritty and hoarse as I entangled myself with her, nestling my head into her stomach.

"For what?" she chuckled.

"Passing out on you…I shouldn't have drank so much," I admitted, feeling bad for doing that to her and just all around feeling like shit from the hangover. My stomach was rolling like I was stuck in a dinghy during a major hurricane and my head was throbbing like someone was up there swinging a sledge hammer around.

"Of all the things to be sorry for," she laughed quietly as she ran her fingers through my hair. "You _should _be apologizing for humping my leg damn near all night in your sleep."

"_I_ _didn't_," I groaned as I lifted my head. "Please tell me I didn't do that."

"Must have been one hell of a dream too from the noises you were making," she chuckled as I burrowed my face into her stomach.

"Sorry love," I mumbled, my face probably turning a fiery red…worse than I'd ever seen hers turn.

"I'm just messing with you, Edward," she laughed. My head popped up and I glared at her as I started attacking her sides with my fingers.

"You evil, _evil_, little woman you," I chuckled as she squealed, _loudly_. My hands ripped away from her as though she'd burned me and slammed down on my ears as I groaned and rolled over, the throbbing in my head increasing tenfold instantly.

"Sorry…I'm sorry," she said frantically before scrambling around on the bed and grabbing something from the nightstand. "Here honey, take these."

I tossed the pills she'd given me to the back of my throat quickly before leaning up on my arm and washing them down with the glass of water she held out to me. When she laid back down, I curled myself back into her and closed my eyes as she gently ran her fingers through my hair and prayed like never before that, at the very least, my headache would go away before I actually had to get out of the bed.

Not ten minutes later, my bedroom door swung open, scaring the shit out of Bella and causing me to clamp down on my ears once again as she shrieked.

"Rise and shine party people! How are them hangovers treatin' ya?!" Felix boomed as he strode over to the bed. He grabbed a hold of the sheet and I instantly let go of my ears to keep a hold of it.

"Fucker, I'm warning you. If you don't wanna see my ugly naked ass you'll let go of the sheet _right now_," I growled as I yanked it back toward me.

"Someone had a little drunken fun last night, did he?" he laughed as he waggled his eyebrows at us.

"Nah…only with my leg," Bella snickered as my gaze shot to her in horror.

"You said you were kidding!" I wailed.

"I was…about the all night part," she giggled. "And you have a _beautiful_ ass honey."

"Eww…gross," Felix chuckled as he fake gagged.

"Nice…that's just _awesome_. Thanks for sharing, love," I grumbled. "Felix…get out."

"You got it ya freaky little leg humper," he chortled, ducking quickly from the pillow I launched at his massively oversized head.

"Better get your aim in check there _Edwina_, breakfast is in twenty and we hit the field right after," he said as he turned and paused at the door.

"Yeah yeah…I'll be in prime form after a shower and some coffee, but you'll still be reigning champion of Loserville there Fumbles McButterfingers," I smirked, fighting back a laugh as he gave me the finger and slammed the bedroom door shut.

"I can't believe you told him I humped your leg in my sleep," I scoffed as I slid out of the bed. She just laughed as she stretched, her tank top rising up to expose a sliver of her beautifully tanned mid-drift.

"Sorry," she yawned and chuckled as that sliver of skin begged for me to touch it. "It was just too funny not to share."

"Speaking of sharing," I smirked as I reached out to graze my fingers along that tempting vision of flesh, "Care to share a shower with me?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she snickered as she stepped into me and wrapped her arms around my neck.

A chuckle left my lips as I lifted her against me, her legs wrapping around me as I kissed her and strode off toward the bathroom. She laughed as I attacked her clothes, pulling them off of her hastily as she tried to get the shower water going.

"For someone who has a killer headache you're acting pretty damn enthusiastic right about now," she laughed as I pulled her sleep tank over her head.

"Well you know," I mumbled as I trailed kisses up and down her neck and shoulder, "They say sex is the best cure for a migraine."

"And here I thought you just wanted to share a hot shower with me," she snickered as I led her blindly into the shower.

"Mmm…any shower with you in it is _hot_," I replied, just above a husky whisper as my lips glided across her jaw. She moaned as I pushed her gently against the shower wall and pressed myself against her, trapping my rapidly hardening cock between us.

"Edward," she moaned as I licked and sucked my way back down her neck, caressing every inch of her skin that I could reach with my hands. "We're gonna be late for breakfast if you start this."

"Don't…want…breakfast," I breathed, nipping at her skin gently as I made my way further down her body. She gasped and mewled as I caught her nipple in my mouth, swirling my tongue around it and grazing it with my teeth before letting it go. I crouched down in front of her, dragging my lips and tongue across and down her stomach. I paused to look up at her after sliding my fingers between her slick folds and circled my finger around her clit but not touching it, making her damn near growl at me.

"Does Bella want breakfast?" I asked, a smirk on my lips and an eyebrow quirked at her as she writhed against my hand, searching for friction where she needed it.

"No…Bella doesn't want breakfast…" she paused as she moaned, her head falling back and smacking against the shower wall when I grazed her pleasure pearl. I chuckled and pulled my fingers away, making her frustrated gaze shoot down to me. "Bella wants you to quit fuckin' around before she explodes."

"And what if I don't?" I smirked again as I flicked her clit with my thumb.

"You'll be in serious…_serious _trou…_Fuck!_" she cried out as I thrust two fingers into her wet heat.

"God…right there…don't stop," she panted as I worked her with my fingers and tongue.

Her knees started shaking through my ministrations so I hooked one of her legs over my shoulder as I savored her taste. Sweet, slightly salty and a bit watered down from the rivulets of water cascading over her beautifully toned skin. She was so beautiful when caught up in the sensations of her pleasure, her expressions and sounds as she came closer and closer to climaxing. I couldn't take my eyes off of her as I moaned and groaned along with her, my sounds muffled by her flesh.

Right when she was on the brink of falling to pieces above me, I stood quickly, keeping her leg hooked over my elbow. She grabbed my face and kissed me hard, attacking my lips and tongue with her own as I moaned. I grabbed a hold of my cock with my other hand and slid the head of it between her folds, lining myself up with her entrance. Her kiss only increased in fervor as she felt me start to slide in, her short nails scraping my back, just between my shoulder blades.

"_Fuck _love," I growled as I broke away from her lips. That mix of pleasure and pain as I sheathed myself inside of her damn near made me cum instantly.

"Hold on tight baby," I told her as I shifted my footing. She wrapped her arms around my neck and moaned as I lifted her slightly, her legs wrapping around my waist as I held her up with my arms wrapped under her and my hands gripping her hips. I knew my fingers might leave marks, but I was too far gone with desire to give a damn in that moment as I started drilling into her with long hard thrusts, the sounds of our skin slapping echoing back from the tiled walls.

"Cum with me Bella…God I'm so fucking close," I panted, speeding up my thrusts. She was teetering on the edge, her walls beginning to tighten around me. I knew I couldn't hold out much longer and her orgasm would be it for me.

"Shit…Edward, I'm cumming I'm cumming…God you feel so good," she chanted as she clamped down around me, her pussy walls grabbing a hold of me in a vice grip and sending me over the edge with a feral groan.

"Holy shit! My eyes! I'm fucking blind!" a voice boomed, scaring the shit out of me as I pulsed inside of her. Bella shrieked as my foot slid, sending us crashing down to the floor of the shower, my cock slipping out and sending random shots of cum into the air.

"Demitri! Get the fuck out!" I roared, catching sight of his hulking form through the wet but still see through fucking glass shower door.

"I can't fucking see dickhead! I've been blinded by your pasty white ass!" he boomed as he walked straight into the damn wall next to the door, only to bounce off of it and stumble through the doorway while yelling. "FELIX YOU STUPID MOTHERFUCKER! YOU DID THAT SHIT ON PURPOSE!"

"Bella baby, are you okay?" I asked, trying to check her over as the water from the showerhead rained down on us. She sat up slowly, crossing her arms over her chest to shield herself as she did so and nodded.

"Yeah, are you? You hit the floor pretty hard," she chuckled breathlessly.

"Ugh…I would be if he hadn't ruined possibly the best orgasm I've _ever_ had," I laughed as my head thudded against the floor of the shower.

"Well, we can always try that again later tonight," she grinned as she lowered herself over me, her lips hovering just above my own as the water beat down on her back. "As long as we remember to lock the door first."

"That better be a promise my love, because I'm gonna need a _long_ _hot _shower when we get home." I growled playfully at her as I grasped her face in between my hands and brought her lips down to mine.

We made out under the stream of water for a few minutes before finally pulling ourselves up off the floor and taking a lukewarm shower. All clean and dressed, we finally made our way downstairs just in time to catch the last bits of breakfast before they were thrown away. Emmett looked to be in pretty bad shape, worse than I had been when I woke up, as he sat at the table looking as though he'd turn green any moment just from looking at his plate of food in front of him. Jasper had passed on the food altogether, settling for just a giant mug of coffee…which actually sounded perfect to me.

"Where is everyone?" I asked as I plopped down in a chair next to Bella with my sumo-sized cup of coffee.

"Eat some toast," Bella whispered as she put her plate between us and I shook my head while Alice filled us in that everyone, minus Esme and Carlisle, already headed down to the resort.

"Edward, you have to eat _something_," she chided. I chuckled under my breath and kissed her cheek as I nodded and took a piece of the stupid toast off her plate.

"What the fuck were we thinking last night?" Emmett grumbled, giving his eggs and bacon the death glare of doom.

"I have _no idea_," Jasper chuckled. "I asked the porcelain gods the same question at three am."

"That's so nasty," Bella laughed, but continued shoveling bits of pancake into her mouth. Woman had a stomach of steel that morning as far as I was concerned because just _watching_ the girls eat was churning mine. We sat there nursing our coffees while the girls finished eating and made small talk with each other. I was just grateful that my headache had at least dissipated and I felt semi-human again, though no doubt another shower with Bella would have me feeling like a million bucks in no time at all.

"What are you chuckling about over there Mr. Patrone-is-the-way-to-go? That shit burns coming back up by the way," Jasper commented offhandedly.

"Nothing," I chuckled again, lost in my own little hot shower world.

"Alright ladies and gentleman…it's time to get this show on the road," Carlisle said as he and Esme waltzed into the room, gray t-shirts draped over their arms.

"Sweet! New shirts!" Emmett crowed, appearing as though he'd just found the magical cure for a hellacious hangover within the last thirty seconds. Hell if he had, he'd better share it because I don't think even my vitamin smoothie cure could put a dent in my morning after syndrome.

"Did you put "Dominator" on mine this time?" he chuckled as Carlisle tossed him his shirt.

"The only thing you've dominated in the last twenty four hours is the tub you fell asleep in," Rose cackled as we all laughed.

"Drink yourself under the faucet again, Emmett?" Carlisle chuckled amusedly. It was common knowledge in this family that he frequently passed out in bath tubs or shower stalls when inebriated, though none of us ever knew why. Hell, I don't think even Emmett knew why.

"Sure did, but hey, at least I didn't turn the water on this time," he laughed and then groaned as he held the back of his shirt up. "Aw…just once I want it to say Dominator…cause you all know I'm gonna dominate the hell out of the events."

"Your ass hurts," Jasper laughed. "You lose the obstacle course every time because you can't balance the damn egg on the spoon."

"Emmett, son, just be glad we put your usual 'Gentle Giant' and not 'Pretty Woman' on the back of it after your Halloween costume last year," Carlisle laughed as the girls busted out laughing.

"What's up with the family crest? Did you guys mix ours up with someone else's?" Emmett asked as he looked at it closer. Esme had handed me mine, but I hadn't yet looked at it. Curious, I unfolded it and looked down at where the crest lay on the left side of the chest and instantly I knew it wasn't a mix up. On the contrary actually, it was the very reason she'd called in a favor from Lucita just after talking to us the previous afternoon.

She'd combined both our family crests, nestling the Masen's floral scroll and knight's helmet between the Cullen's dragons and displaying our emblems, fleur de lis for my family, and clubs for theirs, within the banner below the helmet. A ribbon below the crest proudly displayed both family names MASEN-CULLEN. Hell, she'd even crossed our family colors, turning their black clubs gold and our gold fleur de lises black to show the unity of our families.

"Ma…this is…unreal," I sputtered and lifted my gaze to meet hers. "Why'd you do this?"

"Because, my dear boy, just as you'll always be just as much a Cullen as a Masen, we too will always be just as much Masens as we are Cullens. We're a family, always have been and always will be," she replied, her voice thick with emotion.

"Hey…I wanna be a Masen-Cullen too!" Jasper whined looking down at his Whitlock crest as Alice giggled. "That crest is awesome looking…ours is just _dumb_."

"I had a feeling you'd say that. Your father said the same thing last night," Esme tittered and held out a Masen-Cullen shirt to him. "Alice, would you like to be a Masen-Cullen or a Whitlock today?"

"If I choose Whitlock…I'm gonna be the only one wearing this name aren't I?" she chuckled as Esme nodded with amusement. "Masen-Cullen it is then!" she chirped as she leaned forward for the shirt.

I lifted my shirt again and smiled wistfully at the new crest with my first name scrawled beneath it before flipping it around to see the giant E. CULLEN stamped across the back in big black letters, '_Piano Man_' in italicized font right beneath it.

"What's yours say?" I chuckled as I looked over at Bella.

"It says _Bookworm_," she said through a sputtering laugh as Rosalie busted out in a loud guffaw.

"You guys did NOT put Grease Monkey on the back of my shirt!" she laughed as she held it up for all of us to see. "God that's awesome!"

"Fairy Fashionista…that's funny," Alice giggled. "Esme, Carlisle…these are _fantastic_. Thank you."

"You're quite welcome dear. Wear them with pride girls, you've earned them by putting up with our boys," Carlisle responded as he patted Jasper on the back roughly. "It's just our little way of welcoming you all to the family."

"I really wish you guys would change mine. I mean come on…_Lurch_? I get the whole joke about how I was tall and quiet as a kid, but it doesn't fit anymore," Jasper laughed.

"You didn't get that nickname from being tall and quiet, dear. We gave you that name because you always did that freaky appearing out of nowhere thing as a kid," Esme laughed. "You still do it too!"

"Okay, okay…Lurch it is. It's still better than Demitri's _Twinkletoes_," he chortled. I laughed so damn hard I fell into Bella next to me when he blurted it out.

"I think the only one with a really cool name is Felix with the whole Freight Train thing," Emmett griped playfully.

"That's only because putting _Brick Shithouse _on the back of a shirt was, and still is, youth inappropriate," Carlisle laughed as he made his way into the kitchen to dispose of his empty coffee mug, only to return moments later. "Besides…have you ever heard the man snore? Even as a kid he'd make you _swear_ a freight train was rolling through the room."

After sitting for a little while longer, and laughing some more at some of the other family members' nicknames - the highlights of the list being Uncle Marcus's "Humpty Dumpty" that he earned after falling off the short retaining wall he'd been sitting on at one of our childhood baseball games when he almost got pegged by a foul ball and Aunt Diane's "Tenacious D" that she earned at the same game when the foul ball that had almost hit Aro had been erroneously called a strike by an I-don't-know-my-head-from-my-ass ump and she nearly attacked him - we donned our "Team Cullen" shirts and hit the road for the resort.

Emmett and Jasper laughed all the way into the garage, Aunt Diane's name being even more humorous to us now that we'd all seen the movie "_Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny_" - one of Emmett's personal favorites. I don't think Diane, or the majority of the family for that matter, even know who Tenacious D are. They're always giving us funny looks when we start busting out laughing and singing songs from the movie or their album when we see the back of her shirt.

Bella and I chose to take the bike together, so we could escape whenever we felt like it after the kickoff dinner that night instead of having to wait around for everyone else to be ready to go, though even I wasn't sure how much partying Emmett and Jasper would be up to after the previous night we'd had. Either way, I wasn't going to chance getting stuck at the resort for half the night when I could be home thoroughly enjoying a repeat of this morning's shower activities. Okay, I'll admit it. I'm a horny bastard. Sue me.

The resort was literally pulsing with energy when we arrived, kids running amuck everywhere - probably getting into mischief the way we always seemed to as kids - and adults scrambling around trying to keep up with them. It was entirely amusing to see the looks of confusion on their faces when they'd have a kid in their sight one minute and they'd vanish as soon as the adult stopped to say a quick hello to us as we strolled through.

At one point I spotted little Vinnie running from Dominic, squealing in his diaper and "Team Cassanetti" shirt. Yeah…_only_ the diaper and shirt. Dominic was chasing after him with his shorts. I laughed hysterically when I caught the nickname "Tiny Terror" on the back of his shirt and pointed it out to Bella.

"Ooomph!" I huffed as Maddie ran straight into my crotch, nearly buckling me over while I'd been gazing off in Vinnie and Dominic's direction. She was the perfect height to head butt me straight in the friggin jewels, and _damn_ that shit hurts!

"Oooh…Maddie honey, be careful," Bella cooed as she bent down to pick her up while I cupped myself and resisted the urge to either scream or cry. "You okay baby?" she asked and I nodded at the ground.

"Sowwy…Angewo was chasin' me," she said out of breath. I stood up straight and grimaced up at the sky.

"It's okay sweetie…just watch where you're running next time okay?" I said softly as I forced a smile at her, a smile that turned more genuine when I saw the "Squealy McGee" on her back. They'd been calling her that since she was probably five months old. Every time she laughed it started with this hilarious little squeal. She still did it from time to time if you got her laughing hard enough.

Bella and I brought Maddie down to the beach with us as Emmett and Jasper along with Rosalie and Alice went to chase after the rest of the kids. We stopped briefly by the pool area to shed our socks and shoes before hitting the sand and waiting for all the others to return with the kids in tow so we could get the activities rolling.

Standing there with Maddie between us made me once again about wishing for children of our own at these family functions. It also made me wonder what kind of nickname our poor kids would end up with. Granted neither of ours were anything bad, but we had some doozies in the family. Alec had been stuck with "Gold Digger" since he was like four, and not for monetary reasons either. Kid had a penchant for pickin' his nose and Uncle Aro would always ask him if he was "diggin' for treasure." I'm sure he wasn't all that thrilled to be stuck with it at his current age of twenty three.

Then there was Lorenzo who's nickname had changed from Curly Q because of this damn wayward cowlick curl he's had on the side of his forehead in _every _photo he's ever been in from age practically zero on, to Triple Decker, which seems benign enough until you hear the story behind it. About ten years ago we'd decided to have a camping style reunion - just before Emmett graduated high school - and he'd been sick through the whole thing. Poor guy was sitting by the campfire one night and he sneezed, got a bloody nose, and _shit himself _all at the same time. He's been Triple Decker ever since.

There were some among the ranks that were neither funny or embarrassing in any way as well. It's not like we aim to give everyone ridiculous names. Most of them just come about because of something memorable. Esme's Negotiator comes from years of settling fights between the young-ins with a degree of patience that's truly worthy of Sainthood and Carlisle's Doc just came from his profession. My father, years ago, had been Sherlock, and not because he had any astute observation skills or anything, but rather, because my mother routinely said "No shit Sherlock" to him. I'm sure you can see how she quickly became Watson.

"Hey, Leggy McHumperson! You finally made it!" Felix bellowed through his laughter as he made his way down the ramp onto the beach with Angelo riding on his shoulders. I flicked my hand from under my chin at him, basically flipping him off without actually doing so in front of the kids.

"Leggy McHumperson?" Kate laughed as Maddie ran off as she spotted Renata, Victoria and Natalie. "Why are you calling him Leggy McHumperson?"

"Seems drunken Eddie here likes to get it on with Bella's leg in his sleep," he chuckled as Kate and others busted out laughing. I just groaned and shook my head, catching sight of Tanya standing off to the side of the group with her arms crossed over her chest and an irritated look on her face. I rolled my eyes at no one, intent on just ignoring the hell out of her and whatever her issue at the moment was. As far as I was concerned, she was getting a dose of her own medicine for trying to bring up the subject of our past intimacy in front of Bella at Mezcalito's.

"Well he sure as heck wasn't humping her leg in the shower this morning. Thanks for that by the way a-hole! I'm still blind in one eye from the sight of his…"

"Demitri! Shut up dillhole!" I growled, cutting him off as he punched Felix in the arm. Idiot was mouthing off about something entirely inappropriate with Angelo still sitting _right there _on top of Felix's shoulders.

"What's humping mean?" Angelo asked with a confused face and I laughed humorlessly as my head flopped back.

"Yeah…have fun answering that one Einsteins," I chuckled, looking at their panicked faces as Bella buried her face into my arm and shook with laughter.

"Uhh…it's…you see…nevermind. Just forget you even heard the word," Felix spluttered.

"Why? Is it a bad word? Why were Uncle Edward and Aunt Bella in the shower together? Did Aunt Esme make them rinse the sand off with their bathing suits on in there like my mommy does?" he asked innocently, only making us laugh even harder as Demitri got flustered while trying to answer him.

"No…it's not a bad word…it's just…no they weren't…uhh…oh for the love of cookies and milk!Darn me and my big fat mouth!" he grumbled as he rubbed his neck and fumbled around awkwardly.

"Angelo baby, have you seen Joey anywhere?" Gabby called as she made her way down the ramp.

"Mommy? What's humping mean?" he asked as he turned on Felix's shoulders to face her. She stopped in her tracks, looking between the three of us before narrowing her eyes in on Demitri - who was still fidgetting and looking guilty as hell - and striding right up to him and smacking him right in the back of the head.

"I can't _wait_ til you have kids of your own one day," she said lowly as she poked him in the chest.

"Come on honey. Help me find your brother will you?" she smiled up at him as she held her arms out to help him down off Felix's shoulders.

"Way to go brainiac," I chuckled as I patted him on the shoulder and watched them walk away, him still asking what the word meant and her trying to form an age appropriate response. "Next time you'd be better off keeping what you see to yourself."

"Well I wouldn't have seen it to start with if this douche hadn't told me he left the shower running in your room for me! It's not like I walked in on you on purpose!" he wailed as Felix laughed.

"And why would he have showered in _our _room to start with when he hadn't spent the night there?" I snickered.

"I don't know! I had just friggen woken up for shit's sake. Catching sight of your ass mid-thrust wasn't exactly the way I wanted to start my day either," he griped, not even bothering to censor himself since none of the young ones were in immediate hearing distance any longer.

"Do you people _mind_? I'd rather not hear about your shower exploits you know," Tanya scowled.

"Sucks when people _thrust _intimate imagery in your face, doesn't it?" I sneered right back with a dark chuckle and a vicious grin. "Or are you just jealous that I was never hot enough for you to ever bother following you into the shower in the first place?"

"_Dayum_!" Kate guffawed as Tanya spun on her heel and walked off, I'm assuming to go find Irina. "That one even burned me!"

"Ouch honey," Bella giggled. "I think you should apologize."

"_What_? Apologize to _her_? _Are you crazy_?" I wailed as she just laughed at me.

"No…apologize to Demitri for having not brought it up sooner, silly," she snickered as she slapped me in the arm lightly.

"Oh man, she's possibly the evilest little thing I've ever seen," Demitri laughed as he high fived her. "Fits right in with the rest of us little devils."

As we stood around laughing and carrying on, the rest of the family began trickling in, the last of which being Carlisle, Marcus, and Eleazar - each pulling a wagon filled with hundreds of little water balloons behind them. We all huddled around them, waiting for Carlisle and Marcus to begin the whole "Welcome everyone, we're glad you could all make it for the blah blah yadda yadda" speech that they'd taken over from their fathers eons ago.

I never understood the necessity for such formality when we were all a giant group of loons and crazies anyhow. The formal speech was more amusing to most of us than it was endearing or heartwarming to any degree. And this year was no different as Emmett, Jasper, Demitri, Felix, and I all chose different parts of it to mock before they were said.

"Alright, we know you all are anxious to get your hands on the balloons and start wailing on each other," Marcus said and then laughed as Demitri and Emmett both crowed "Hell yeah!" in unison.

"Joey here is going to pick names out of a bucket for team Captain's this year so we don't stand here arguing for an hour like usual," Carlisle chuckled as he messed up Joey's hair. "Come on little man…give us our Captains."

"Kate…and," he trailed off as he dipped his hand back into the bucket and pulled out another little piece of folded up paper. "Irina."

"I'm not playing that stupid game! Pick another name!" her bitchy voice filtered through the air from the pool area.

"What else is new…" Carlisle muttered as he shook his head. "Go ahead and grab another one kiddo."

"Kay…um…Rosalie," he said as he grinned a toothy smile at her. She snickered and walked up to take her spot across from Kate at Carlisle and Marcus's sides.

Carlisle leaned toward her and whispered something to her that caused her to nod and smile at him as he straightened back up. He pulled a quarter out of his pocket and gave her dibs on calling the coin for first pick since this was her first year. She called heads and won, and immediately chose Joey for her first pick.

It was good to see that the tradition of calling out the young kids before the adults was sticking. It helped them feel like they weren't being chosen last because of their age and made them feel like a bigger part of the teams. It was something that Grandpa C had started _years _ago when Em, Jasper and I were just little kids.

"Dude, you ready to go down in flames in the water balloon war?" Demitri taunted as he punched my arm, taking my attention away from the names being called.

"In your dreams Buckwheat! I'll be taking you and your whole team down by myself," I laughed as I caught him up in a headlock and gave him the noogie of a lifetime.

"Bring it pipsqueak! AAHHH cut that crap out!" he bellowed, leaning forward and lifting me in the air on his back as he struggled to swing me off of him. He finally got a good spin in, tossing me off his back and sending me stumbling across the sand laughing.

We continued messing around, not really paying attention to the team line ups until our names were called out. I laughed when we ended up on the same team together. All that damn razzing for nothing…not that we actually stopped harping on each other once we were on the same side. Unfortunately, at the very end we got stuck with Tanya because she was the last person standing there and it was Rosalie's turn to pick. Why she was even participating when it wasn't her type of thing to start with was beyond me, but it wasn't worth contemplating either.

"Alright alright, settle down! Last team with a person standing wins. Losing team is on dinner duty tonight!" Marcus called out as we formed our lines across from each other in the area on the sand marked off with stakes and bright red plastic ribbon running between them.

Aro and Caius set up their folding chairs and umbrella to take their spots as referees while watching over Vinnie as he played with a bucket and mini shovel in the sand, and Marcus reminded us all of the important rules to keep in mind - mostly for any first timers like our girls and some of the kids. Mainly no head shots, no hard throws towards the kids, and in order for a shot to count, there had to be a giant wet spot on your clothing as visible proof. I always found that last one amusing for some reason. Probably because he called it the "blooming effect."

Standing across from each other, balloons filling our over the shoulder "grenade bags" as Emmett liked to call them, I tried to pick out my first targets. As soon as Aro blew the whistle, it was utter mayhem on the beach. Balloons flying everywhere as people darted left and right trying to dodge them while laughing and yelling at each other. Not thirty seconds into it and Esme, Eleazar, Diane, Heidi and Charlotte had all been taken out, each of them laughing as they exited the area and disappearing up the ramp off the beach together.

I was in the process of chasing after Felix when I heard Jasper start shouting out "Friendly fire! That crap didn't count!"

I stopped my chase and turned to see Bella and Tanya in a heated stare down, a huge wet spot across the Cullen name on Bella's back and Jasper heatedly saying something to Carlisle. It was clear by the look on Tanya's face that she'd done that shit on purpose, aiming straight for the name as if to tell her without words that it shouldn't be on her back to start with. My hands clenched into fists at my sides as I started to storm off in their direction, only to be caught by a hand on my shoulder. I almost jumped when I turned my head to see Dominic, thinking he'd burst a balloon on me, but he didn't.

"That the one that made my boy cry yesterday?" he asked as he narrowed his eyes and cocked his head in her direction.

"_Tanya_ made Vinnie cry? What'd she do to him?" I asked, my anger igniting into pure rage instantly.

"That's the one. She screamed at him and ripped her phone out of his hands from what Heidi told me. Apparently said some pretty harsh things to Bella too after she knocked that woman in the pool phone and all," he responded with a nod.

I was so goddamn pissed off it felt like I was about to burst into flames as I went to take off in their direction again, only to be stopped by him, _yet again_.

"What?!" I growled, not meaning to be irate with him but wanting nothing more than to break up what I was sure was going to turn into a physical fight between Bella and Tanya at any second with the way they were yelling at each other, arms flailing around.

"Let her stand her ground man. You can't always be the knight in shining armor coming in to save the day. If she's Cullen material through and through like Heidi says, she can handle this on her own," he said as people stopped and started staring at the scene before them.

"You're damn right I did! You keep on calling these people your family, but the truth is you're no more related to any of them than I am!" Tanya screeched at her. In a split second I swear I saw at least ten jaws drop, Carlisle and Marcus's included as Bella laughed in her face.

"Enough!" Carlisle bellowed, looking both horrified and infuriated. "I don't know who you are nor do I care, but if you're going to insist on participating in our _family reunion_ you _will _respect each and every member of _my family_, Bella included."

"Wow…I know she's on your team and all, but do you care if I take her out when we resume playing?" Dominic asked.

"Fuck no I don't care. Hit her straight in the goddamn head while you're at it," I muttered angrily.

"Come on now…you know a hit like that won't count," he scoffed as Aro stepped in to speak to both of them.

"Fuck it…if you won't _I will_ because she deserves it and then some," I growled back, pulling a balloon out of my bag as Aro and Carlisle both pulled Bella aside after saying something to Tanya that had her scowling as she walked off.

"Looks like they kicked her off the field. Double head shot then?" Dominic chuckled. I just nodded as I cocked my arm back and aimed straight for her head. We shot the balloons off at the same time, my red one smacking her right in the side of the head and exploding as his blue one hit her shoulder, drenching her shirt. She shrieked and stomped her foot before taking off as people all around us started laughing. I shared a quick fist bump with Dominic before taking off toward where Bella and Carlisle were still standing together.

"You okay love?" I asked, cupping the sides of her neck.

"Just peachy," she smiled.

"I'll just give you two a minute before calling the game back into play," Carlisle said as he smiled at us, his feet retreating as he spoke.

"Bella…why didn't you tell me something happened yesterday?" I asked as I grazed her cheek with my thumb. I didn't really blame her for not bringing it up, as it would have likely ruined whatever good time we were having at the moment, but I had to admit that it hurt hearing it from Dominic rather than her.

"I'm sorry…I just…it wasn't a big deal Edward," she sighed, a frown pulling the sides of her lips down.

"It _is _a big deal though!" I argued, "It's a _huge _deal to me if she's consistently being disrespectful toward you and the rest of my family."

"Will you _please _relax? The issue is settled and I have Carlisle's word that if this kind of thing continues he'll take care of it. Now can we please, please, _please_ go back to having fun with everyone? I don't want her to ruin any of this for us," she begged, giving me a prize winning pout and sad eye combo that I wouldn't be able to resist if my life depended on it.

"Okay…alright, but Bella, one more outburst like that from her and I will _not _be held accountable for my actions," I relented, my jaw clenching in frustration. I couldn't understand how she could be so calm and casual about it, letting everything roll off her back when I was reaching the very end of my fuse when it came to dealing with Tanya's bullshit. And she'd been dealing with more of it than me!

"Edward," she chuckled as she leaned up to brush a chaste kiss against my lips. "You already hit her in the head with a water balloon. Anything harder than that and you might seriously damage that one poor bugger of a brain cell still functioning up there."

"How can you _laugh_ about all this? Her behavior is disturbingat best," I questioned as she continued to laugh.

"Because it's hilarious! She just made a giant _butt _out of herself in front of _everyone _and then you top it off by bursting a balloon on her head. It's like watching a bad episode of Jerry Springer. All we need to do is lose a few teeth, get some trashy tattoos and gain a couple dozen pounds and we're in!" she chortled, and I actually had to laugh at the image of it all in my head.

"You're too much," I chuckled, bowing my head down to kiss her. I vaguely heard someone yell "Game on!" but couldn't find it in me to care about it when I felt her warm tongue slide across my lip. A groan pushed its way out of me as I swirled my tongue with hers briefly and pulled back to leave a series of chaste kisses upon her lips.

"We're still on for the shower later right?" I asked huskily, nuzzling her cheek with my nose.

"Most definitely," she snickered, "Cause you're a dirty _dirty _boy."

"Incoming!" someone yelled just before I felt the giant splat and water soaking through the back of my t-shirt, turning my laugh into an irritated groan.

I turned to look where it came from and spotted Felix grinning as he blew on his fingertips, his hands pulled into finger guns.

"You dirty dog," I laughed, hoisting the strap of my bag over my head.

"That's how we git-r-done 'round heaahh," he laughed, not paying attention to Alec creeping up behind him.

"Aw! You little shart!" he wailed, spinning around with his shoulders raised up to his ears. "You better run you little punk!"

"Kick some ass for me baby," I chuckled, smacking her a quick kiss on the cheek before jogging off to the sidelines.

I plopped my ass down under the shade of a palm tree to watch the chaos unfold before me while wishing I was still out there running around. I watched as one by one they picked each other off, first Jane, then Marcus, Victoria, Gianna, Richie and Toby - each person laughing as they made their way out of the playing area.

I cracked up when Emmett got pelted with three balloons at once and stood there with the trademark "Sullen Cullen pout" for a minute before pulling his bag over his shoulder and making his way across the sand.

"Can you believe that shit? Got taken out by a bunch of grade schoolers!" Em wailed as he plopped down next to me.

"I think one of em was a pre-schooler Em," I chuckled as I smacked his back.

"Unreal…stealthy little buggers those kids are," he snorted.

"Do you remember how we used to swear we were the masters of the arena when we were their age?" I asked, feeling rather nostalgic at the moment while watching Joey and Angelo try to tag team Carlisle.

"Yeah," he laughed. "God we were oblivious to the charade back then."

"So…," he paused, tilting his head toward me and grinning like a baffoon. "Rosie tells me you and Bella are talking about trying for a family right after the wedding. Any truth to that?"

I let loose a hearty laugh, both at his expression as well as Jasper's dramatic final scene on the field after taking one to the chest by five year old Renata. She was laughing and jumping around with her arms in the air as he lay in the sand pretending to be dead with his huge wet spot on his shirt.

"Yeah…it's true. You feelin' up to bein' an uncle?" I chuckled, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"Hell yeah I'm ready," he guffawed as he slapped me on the back, "Fatherhood'll look good on ya, bro. I can just see ya now with your emergency fanny pack and over the shoulder baby holder."

"Shut up asswipe," I laughed, pushing against his shoulder. "There will be _no _fanny packs."

"Oh…you gonna have one of those fancy shmancy murses?" he chuckled.

"What the hell's a _murse_?" I asked, both amused and confused.

"It's a man purse…should I even ask why you're talking about murses?" Jasper sniggered as he plopped down in the sand next to us.

I snorted and shook my head, but couldn't keep myself from grinning as Emmett filled Jasper in on what had us talking about man purses and fanny packs of all things. They were painting quite a horrendous picture of me loaded down with hot pink diaper bags and coordinating emergency fanny packs with a kid strapped to my back, horrendous indeed, but downright hilarious as well.

A short while later, my amusement at listening to Jasper and Emmett and watching everyone run around in the sand was halted abruptly by a sharp wail coming from Maddie. My eyes scoured the playing area as I jumped to my feet and found her trudging through the sand toward me, arms crossed over her chest and tears streaming down her face.

"Unca Eddie," she sobbed. I had to bite back a chuckle at how she stomped her foot in the sand but shot me a quivering pout as she raised her arms for me to pick her up.

"What's up buttercup?" I asked as I lifted her up and over the red tape.

"Angewo poppeded a bawoon on me," she spluttered, her tears coming out more forcefully.

"Awww…it's okay baby doll," I chuckled lightly as I rubbed her back. The real little ones never stood a fighting chance in this game…mostly because they couldn't carry the bags and had to run back and forth from the wagons holding the balloons empty handed, making them easy targets for the slightly older kids.

"Hey," I whispered as she sniffled into my shirt and I poked her in the side. "I think I know what might make ya feel better…I hear Nana Esme has ice pops hidden in the freezer."

She sniffled and looked up at me with a watery smile.

"Think we can find em without getting caught?" I whispered conspiratorially. She nodded and put a finger up against her lips.

"We haf to be quiet…shhh," she whispered. I chuckled under my breath and kissed her cheek before making a big game and show out of sneaking our way into the buffet pavilion kitchen. At one point I even pretended we were hiding behind one of the food service areas as some employees walked by. She giggled and slapped her little hand down over her mouth as I shushed her and bolted into the kitchen in a hunched over run.

"We did it Toots," I laughed as I pulled the freezer door open and started searching for the hidden bag of ice pops. I grinned at her when I found it and eyed the colors inside. "So what's it gonna be baby cakes? Red, orange, purple, or green?"

"Chewwy!" she chirped excitedly.

"Is that the purple one?" I asked, feigning confusion.

"No…dat's gwape," she said with a mini eye roll that could have won Rosalie over in an instant. "Chewwy's da wed one."

"Are you sure?" I chuckled. "I think it's the _green _one."

"_No_," she huffed. "Dat's wime…and it's ucky," she said as her face scrunched up.

"Okay, okay…red it is," I laughed as I pulled it out of the bag. I pulled an orange one out for myself and shoved the bag back in its hiding spot before shutting the freezer door.

"You ready to roll cherry girl?" I asked, swooping her back up off the counter I'd placed her on while I opened our ice pops and threw the wrappers out. I even wrapped the bottom of her popsicle stick in a napkin in hopes of avoiding the giant mess I was sure was about to commence the second I passed it to her.

"Yup," she chirped as she raised the popsicle to her mouth.

When we got back to where I'd been sitting in the sand, Alice, Rosalie, and Kate had joined Emmett and Jasper. Maddie and I feigned ignorance to their inquisitive glances at our ice pops, well I did…Maddie was rather unobservant of anything other than her cherry pop.

"Where'd you guys get the pops from?" Emmett asked.

"Don't know what you're talking about," I chuckled. "Where's Bella?"

"Kicking butt on the field," Alice laughed as she pointed toward the back corner of the playing area. I laughed when I spotted her trying to reload her bag and throw balloons simultaneously while dodging ones coming at her.

"Who knew her clumsiness could work in her favor for something," Rose laughed after she tried to spin to avoid an incoming balloon and lost her footing, her fall enabling her to just _barely _miss being soaked by it.

"Seriously, Edward. Where'd you get the pop from? I want one," Emmett grumbled as I laughed.

"Seriously, Emmett," I said and then took a bite out of my pop. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Nana Esme keeps em in da fweezew," Maddie said as she grinned a bright red small toothed smile at him.

"You little snitch," I chuckled as I tickled her side.

"Hot damn…mom's hidin' the goodies again! I checked there yesterday and there was nothing in there," Em griped as he jumped up from the sand and nearly ran for the buffet pavilion. What a dork.

"I swear you'd think the man was never fed," Rose guffawed but then she and Alice got up to chase after Jasper who had taken off after Emmett.

Twenty minutes later Maddie and I were coveredin cherry ice pop, I mean _covered_ - it looked like we'd been victims of a cherry icee bombing - and there were only three people left on the playing field, Alec, Dominic, and _Bella _of all people. Her clumsiness really _was _working in her favor out there.

With sticky red hands, Maddie and I cheered Bella and Alec on, the only people left on our team as the rest of the family began gathering around to watch the final outcome of the game. Felix was yelling random stuff out at Dominic because he didn't want to get stuck on dinner duty and Demitri was having a ball yelling "incoming" at Bella just to watch her dive down into the sand when there was nothing actually coming at her at the moment.

"Crap! I'm out of ammo!" Bella yelled as she bolted across the sand to the only wagon left that still had some balloons in it.

"Bella! Throw it quick!" Alec yelled as he ran zig zag patterns with Dominic chasing after him, throwing balloon after balloon and missing. "I don't wanna do dishes! Throw it!"

Dominic took aim at her and launched a balloon towards her just as she closed her eyes and took a wild throw. Dom's balloon hit her smack in the chest and exploded, just a second after her balloon had left her hand, soaking even her face with water, but that wasn't the shot that had everyone clapping and cheering. Nope…it was Bella's wild throw that landed right against his right shoulder as he tried to dodge left and take cover behind a palm tree.

Alec ran straight for her and the two of them did this double high five in the air before bumping their chests together and breaking out into this absolutely _ridiculous_ victory dance.

"Atta girl! Way to save the team from dishpan hands!" Emmett boomed as they laughed and started making their way across the sand with their arms around each other's waists. They stopped where Dominic was laying in the sand, out of breath and laughing at the same time, and helped him up before making their way over to us.

"One hell of a woman you got here Edward…definitely a keeper," Alec laughed as he squeezed her shoulder before letting her go.

"You got that right…she's not going anywhere," I chuckled as I swiped the sand off her nose and cheek with my sticky fingers before leaning my head down for a kiss.

After helping everyone clean up the beach, which was littered with blue and red bits of rubber from all of the balloons, we went for a swim as we watched the kids have a hula hoop competition and laughed our asses off at Demitri, Emmett, and Alec - who had all joined in with the kids. Emmett and Demitri looked absolutely ridiculous towering over the kids and trying their damnedest to make their pink and purple hula hoops twirl around their waists.

Alec…I never thought I'd say this, but Alec actually put up some good competition against twelve year old Victoria. They faced off together for the better part of a half hour before Alec finally lost his groove and Victoria was declared reigning champion. She'd been winning the hula hoop thing ever since she was about six.

After lunch, Esme, Diane, Carmen, and Heidi were taking all the kids on a giant treasure hunt, leaving the rest of us adults with at least four hours with which to find ways to entertain ourselves. Some people headed down to the beach, others vested up to go out on the jet skis. Aro and Caius, the old geezers, headed back to their villa to take a nap while Carlisle and Marcus suspiciously disappeared into the kitchen of the buffet pavilion.

It wasn't that they went into the kitchen that was suspicious...it was the way they kept looking over their shoulders as they nearly darted into it that caught my attention. I broke away from our group, intent on sneaking up on them until Em's loud ass voice called my name. I waved my arms at him as I shook my head and gestured for him to be quiet before continuing my silent trek up to the swinging door where I paused to listen.

It was quiet in there..._too _quiet. I looked back at Emmett and the others and waved my hand around in a circle while jabbing a thumb at the swinging door and then bringing my finger up to my lips, silently telling them to make some noise because they were listening inside. Em instantly got it and boomed out some stupid joke a lawyer meeting St. Peter at the gates of heaven and trying to get in. I was too busy focusing on listening for any sounds coming from the kitchen to pay attention to the joke, but the laughter of the others was just the distraction I'd needed.

"You don't think they saw us come in here...do you?" Carlisle's suspicious voice floated through the door.

"Nah...besides, the wives already left. We're in the clear," Marcus said and I had to hold back a laugh. I knew _exactly _what they were doing in there, and as soon as I gestured to Emmett and the group, he, Felix, and Jasper knew as well and they busted out laughing. I held back my laughter as I silently counted off to three on my fingers for them and then burst through the door.

"What do you think you're doing?!" I boomed, scaring the shit out of both of them. They both dropped their glasses, sending hundred year old scotch splashing across the floor as Carlisle started choking on his cigar smoke.

"You..._little shit_," he coughed and wheezed, holding onto the counter for support.

"Ooooh, I'm tellin' ma on you!" I teased, still laughing.

"You better not," he said seriously, standing straight up and giving me one of his patented "I dare you to try me" looks.

"Oh I most definitely am," I snickered. "In fact...I bet I can catch up with her before they hit the trail."

With no warning, he dropped his cigar in the sink and bolted around the center island toward me.

"Oh shit," I laughed, pivoting quickly to dart back out the door. I didn't realize the old man could still move that quick.

"You better hope I don't catch you," he warned, chasing me down and around the service bars.

My foot slid across a wet spot as I rounded the corner, sending me flailing as I caught my balance and made a beeline for the exit of the pavilion.

"Whoa...look out!" I laughed, dodging my way through our huddled group.

He chased me around in circles once we'd gotten down on the beach, huffing out warnings as I taunted him about not being able to keep up. He finally slowed to a stop, bent over with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath.

"Jesus," he panted, "I'm too old for this shit."

"Giving up so soon, old man?" I laughed as he righted himself.

"Edward...son, I'm warning you. If you rat me out I'm telling her it was you that turned her favorite curtains pink in the wash," he said as he shook a finger at me. I sucked in a breath as my jaw dropped and I laughed in disbelief.

"That was you! I told you not to put that damn towel in there with them!" I accused.

"Who's she gonna believe, son? The man she spent years training how to do laundry, or the kid that repeatedly turned his whites different colors?" he grinned smugly.

"Ohhh you sneak!" I laughed. "Alright, I give. You really should give those things up though."

"Yeah, yeah. One cigar every once in a great blue moon isn't gonna kill me any faster than the heart attack you just nearly gave me," he chuckled as we made our way back up off the beach.

We all shared a laugh as he disappeared back into the kitchen, hells bent on sneaking in that one cigar that they'd be able to get away with while Esme and Diane were occupied for hours with the kids.

Unable to come to a unanimous decision on what to do for the next few hours, we narrowed our options down to three - Em's vote for volleyball, Kate's vote for snorkeling, and Alec's vote for kayaking. We let the three of them duke it out with a fierce game of rocks, paper, scissors like the mature folk we are, and ended up with the final result being Emmett's volleyball.

"How we doin' this people? Guys versus girls?" Emmett grinned.

"Hell no!" Kate laughed. "That's totally unfair and you know it!"

"Wait, wait...we're unevenly numbered," Alice piped in after doing a quick head count.

Kate smirked before quickly cupping her hands around Bella's ear. Whatever it was had her grinning and nodding before she, in turn, passed whatever she had said along to Rosalie and Alice as Kate turned to Gianna. Not two seconds later did Gianna grin and belt out "Tanya! You up for some volleyball?!" while waving an arm over her head.

"No...no, no, no..._come on_," I whined, stepping forward with a pleading expression. I didn't want her ruining our game with her antics.

"Relax, _Eddie_," Rose purred mockingly as Bella curled herself into my side, "This is gonna be fun."

"Doubtful," I scoffed as I turned my head to see her hesitantly making her way toward us.

I wondered in that moment if she actually wasn't brain dead because judging by the way the girls were snickering, she was walking straight into the lion's den.

"Just trust us and play along," Bella whispered, leaning up and then kissing my cheek.

"Are you guys sure you don't mind?" she asked warily. I opened my mouth to say I actually did, but Bella pinched my side, _hard_.

"Aahhh," I cried out as I flinched away from her strong ass little fingers and then blurted out "No it's fine we need another player."

I shot Bella a "what the hell was that for" look, to which she just mashed her lips together and tried not to laugh. Shaking my head at her, I turned my attention back to Tanya and nearly cringed at the smile on her face. It took everything in me to cast her a tight smile as she agreed to play.

Kate quickly rattled off teams, placing Bella, Emmett, Alice, Felix, Alec, Gianna, and Tanya on one team and the rest of us on the other, and begrudgingly, I took my spot in our 2-3-2 lineups on either side of the net. As I stood there, patiently waiting for both sides to position themselves and for the ball to be served, I noticed Bella purse her lips and roll her eyes as Tanya stripped off her shirt and tossed it to the side, leaving her in just a bikini top and her shorts. Alice, holding the ball and waiting to serve, just laughed under her breath and winked at Bella.

A minute later, she called out "zero-zero" and the ball went up in the air. Her little fist hit it straight on, whirling it through the air...and straight into the back of Tanya's head.

"Whoa! Fly ball...sorry 'bout that!" Alice blurted, looking suspiciously _too_ apologetic. The way Bella crossed one arm over her chest and hid her mouth with her other hand, and how Rose snorted next to me and turned her head away from the scene confirmed it for me.

Lion's den _indeed_.

_Looks like this'll be fun after all..._

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**A/N: For any of you that give a flying hoot about seeing the family crest Juliebly and I created for this chapter, check out the TOF image album. (Link in my profile) On another note...many of you are asking for an outtake depicting the Heidi/Tanya/Irina showdown. I don't currently have plans to write one...seeing as how I don't really have the time to and would rather not take time away from writing actual chapters for both of my stories to focus on writing an outtake...but I will keep the idea in mind for the future. Sorries! Leave some love! ~Jersey~**


	31. Pineapple People & Funky Chickens

**A/N: I know you're all anxious to have another update...so I'll hold my rambling apologies off until the end. C ya at the bottom!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own these characters...**in fact** (this is for you Jules)...I actually don't own much in the world at all. All Twilight related characters are the sole property of SMeyer ^_^

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Pineapple People and Funky Chickens

EPOV

I probably should have felt bad for Tanya during that volleyball game, but I didn't...and I'll tell you why. Not one of my family members, or our girls for that matter, had acted maliciously without due cause. Each strike they'd taken against her had been in retaliation for some provocative gesture or inappropriate comment she'd made - like when I'd tossed my shirt off halfway through the game and she said something about how her flexibility and my new physique could make one hell of a fun night together.

They'd all waited that one out, choosing their perfect moment to strike, and it came when she was trying to tempt me to check her out by pushing her chest out and adjusting her obviously newly enhanced cleavage. Emmett sent the ball up in the air, and Gianna dove for it, knocking Tanya face first into the net...hands still attached to her chest.

It had nearly come to throws between the two of them after it, Tanya accusing her of doing it on purpose and Gianna not denying it, but instead, telling her she deserved it for acting like a "desperate fucking hoochie". I laughed at that, though I probably shouldn't have, but I'd never heard Gianna speak so crassly.

I'd have expected it from Kate, or from any one of our girls...hell I wouldn't have even been _that _surprised if it had come from Julie, but Gianna was the last person I'd ever think to hear the word _hoochie_ come from, much less to have it preceded by an expletive.

When we finally calmed them down enough to resume the game, Emmett decided to make a game of mocking Tanya behind her back. He'd get everyone laughing and she'd turn around in confusion to find him just standing there giving her a "What?" look...which made us laugh even harder. It wasn't until he'd gone as far as pretending to adjust his cleavage while sending me coy looks that she caught him mid-boob-boost and she stomped off after telling him to go fuck himself.

We proceeded to finish our game in her absence, not really keeping score but just enjoying playing without being overly competitive for once. Shortly before four, Esme rounded up the troops of the losing team in the balloon war for dinner duty, and we lost half of our group. Of course, with our girls being the kind of women they were, being part of the winning team or not, they offered to help with the tasks Esme had set out for everyone.

I was about to go help Bella, Felix, and Emmett make Esme's watermelon baskets - basically watermelons carved to look like a basket and filled with cut up bits of fresh fruit, a necessity for every meal in her eyes for some reason - when Diane grabbed a hold of me and dragged me off into the kitchen with her.

"Sit," she demanded, pointing at one of the prep counters running almost the entire length of the room. "What's this I hear about a showdown between Bella and Tanya this morning?"

"Aunt Di...I _swear_ Bella didn't do anything to provoke that..."

"I never said she did," she said as she quirked a brow at me. "Honestly Edward, that girl is probably one of the most timid women I've ever met. Did she tell you that something similar happened yesterday?"

"No, she didn't, but Dominic insinuated that something had. I asked her about it and why she didn't tell me, but she said it wasn't a big deal. Were you there when it happened?" I asked, shifting slightly on the counter as she made her way around the center island and toward one of the double wide refrigerators.

"No, but Kate and Heidi were and told me about it. Edward..." she paused, looking at me with a serious expression, her hands flattened on the counter before her, one on either side of the marinated meat tray she'd pulled from the fridge. "That woman is bad news. She has no respect for children, for Bella, or for anyone else around here for that matter."

"What exactly did she do?" I asked. She launched into what she had been told by both Kate and Heidi as she moved around the kitchen gathering items that needed to be brought up to the grills, and I listened as I tried to keep myself planted on the counter and not go running off to find Tanya and give her a piece of my mind.

"I have to ask...what in the _hell _did you ever see in that woman?" she asked after a moment of silence passed between us, looking dumbfounded.

I sighed as I rubbed circles against my temples and lifted my head to look at her as I answered, "I have no idea Aunt Di. She honestly wasn't anything like this when we first started dating...well she probably was but she was hiding it really well because it took me forever to catch onto it."

"I'm sure I don't have to remind you of this, but this is a family gathering, Edward. _Family_," she stressed as looked back at me from the fridge. "She has no business here, but we've all overlooked that because she was invited by Irina, and as much as many of us can't stand the girl, she is...rather unfortunately...a member of this family. That's not to say that we will continue to overlook either one of their behaviors. It's disruptive, and frankly, it's making a good number of people uncomfortable having to witness it, and they were both told as much by Heidi yesterday.

"It should come as no surprise to you that we all genuinely adore your Bella. She's a beautiful young woman and she's fantastic with all the children...not to mention the wonders she's worked on your previous disposition. I don't care what it is that you have to say to that woman to end this outrageous behavior of hers, but _do it_. Bella's a tough cookie, but she shouldn't have to defend both herself and your relationship together at every turn," she said sternly.

"Alright, alright...I'll talk to her. Obviously nothing else has gotten through to her yet," I muttered, dreading even just the idea of actually speaking with her.

"Good...now come help me lug all this crap up to Richie and Marcus," she said as I hopped down off the counter. "And you can tell me all about this morning's standoff while we walk. Children tend to leave out large amounts of detail when telling stories."

I groaned lightly as I lifted the stack of trays, not really wanting to rehash the whole thing with her, but knowing I had no choice in the matter. She purposely walked at a snail's pace too, not wanting to miss a single detail...or a chance to throw her own two cents into the mix.

On my way back down from where they'd set up a series of grills, I spotted Emmett and Bella sticking bits of fruit onto pineapples, laughing their asses off while doing so. I had _no _idea what they were up to, but they seemed highly amused by it at least. With any luck, what I was about to endure would put an end to all the bullshit she'd been dealing with from Tanya, and she could continue having just as much fun as she currently was.

I briskly made my way down the wooden walkway, passing a series of suites before coming to the one she shared with Irina. I wasn't sure if she'd even be there, but being that I hadn't seen her since she'd stormed away from the volleyball pit, I figured it was the most logical place to find her.

I climbed up the front steps of their suite and grumbled to myself as I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to figure out just what I needed to say to get her to back off. I stood there stupidly for at least a minute and nothing came to me...I had no idea what the hell to say. I growled under my breath in annoyance and gave up and knocked on the door. When the door opened, I had to take a step back and look around to make sure I'd come to the right villa...which I had.

"Uncle Aro? Did you get lost on your way to take a nap?" I chuckled.

"_Sapientone_," he laughed, giving me the finger while calling me a smartass. "No," he started as he closed the door behind him and stood with me on the porch. "I come to tell the girls it's better they go out tonight."

"Are they still here? I need to speak with Tanya," I said and he just chuckled as he shook his head.

"No...they leave half hour ago angrier than watered chickens," he said, his thick Italian accent and rough English making me bite the inside of my cheek to avoid cracking up.

"Madder than a wet hen," I sniggered, unable to subdue my amusement.

"Che cosa?" he asked with a confused look.

"The expression...it's madder than a wet hen, not angrier than a watered chicken," I spluttered through my chuckles as I clapped him on the back.

"Chicken...hen...they both just dinner," he shrugged, making me laugh even harder.

"So what'd you do to piss them off?" I chuckled as we made our way down the steps.

"I climb in their hot tub and Irina get all huffy so I lie and tell her mine broken, deal with it," he replied, completely straight faced as his hand gestures followed his words. "Then I tell them to change their dresses because they look like pair of _puttane_."

"You know you're a lucky old man that she didn't drown you for calling her a whore, right?" I laughed as I shook my head.

"Well it was true! The tall one bend over to fix her shoe and she wear no panties...I see _everything!_" he wailed with wildly flailing hands, looking disgusted as he started to shake his head. "In my day, Edward, women _never _dress like that. They share the beauty of their body only with their husband...not the world."

"Yeah well...they don't make women like Aunt Giovana anymore," I mused, thinking of his wife who had passed from cancer just a few years prior. She'd been an amazing woman...loving, funny, completely unafraid to take a spatula to your rear if you got into her cooking before it was finished being prepared...and just as beautiful in her elder years as she was in the photo he kept on the fireplace mantle of the day he'd married her.

"Ahhh...my Ginny was a marvelous woman. I miss her very much every day," he said with a wistful smile. "Your Bella...she remind me much of her. Same beautiful dark hair and soulful eyes...and a mouth as wicked as the devil," he chuckled as I laughed.

"She can definitely be a handful," I sniggered as we continued to stroll slowly down the walkway.

"All good women are my boy. You remember I say so when she tests you. The good ones _always_ worth the headaches," he said, clapping me on the back with a look of amusement on his face.

We continued talking about the old days as we made our way up to the buffet pavilion, and I realized abruptly how much I'd missed visiting them in Italy. The parts of the summers that we'd spent there growing up, had been some of the best times of my life. Times when I'd made most of the memories I cherished to this day.

As if on cue, it had me thinking of having my own family sometime in the near future. My mind was bombarded with images of what it could be like for our family to visit there one day. Bella chasing our kids through Uncle Aro's vineyard, the way my mother had done to me as a child, Aro showing them how to harvest the grapes and turn them into wine as he'd done with all of us at one point in time or another...and inevitably sneaking them a sip of it just to watch their faces pucker up. And he wondered why we kept trying to sneak into the wine cellar when we became teenagers. He'd turned us all into raging alcoholics by the ripe old age of seven.

"She is a true beauty that one," Aro commented. I'd been so lost in my memories and hopes for the future, I had absolutely no clue what he was talking about.

"Sorry...what was that?" I asked as he gave me a knowing smirk.

"Your Bella. Her beauty is...captivating," he said, stumbling a bit as he tried to recall the word he was looking for. "Especially when she laughs," he said as he pointed over to where she was sitting with Emmett, Felix, and Rosalie.

"She doesn't think so, but she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," I replied as a grin made its way across my face. In truth, her humble view of herself was one of the first things that had both shocked and appealed to me.

I had grown so accustomed to the typical women that frequented the island, ones like Tanya who flaunted themselves to get what they wanted because they regarded themselves as irresistible and couldn't be persuaded otherwise, that Bella's genuine modesty was a breath of fresh air. One that I hadn't realized I'd needed until I'd overheard their outrageously ridiculous, albeit amusing but ridiculous nonetheless, arguement at the bar the first day they'd arrived. I'd almost had to ask Derek, the guest I was talking with, to smack me because I was _positive_ there was no way the stunningly gorgeous woman I was looking at was the very same woman that was claiming herself to be _Quasimoto_ when compared to her friends. The sad part about it was the brief flash of pain I caught in her eyes when a group of people behind me, completely across the bar from her, had started laughing...and they weren't even laughing _at her_.

I highly doubted those inebriated asses were even aware of the conversation taking place down the bar from them as they were completely lost in their own little intoxicated world, but she instantly assumed their peals of laughter were directed at her. It was that brief flash of pain that had driven me to snatch her drink from Jasper and propel myself down the bar, just in time to tell her that it wasn't her friends, but rather she herself, that needed to visit the optometrist...because she was absolutely exquisite.

"Women are funny creatures, my boy. You can talk sense until you blue in the face, but they always think there something wrong with them. My Ginny was just like her. I tell her she's beautiful every day and she always tell me I crazy or I drink too much vino," he laughed heartily, garnering curious glances in our direction from the others.

"Go join them, Edward. She make you smile like when you were just a boy. You keep a hold of her...she make good changes in you," he chuckled as he started to shuffle away.

As I stood there and watched him slowly walk away, it struck me again how very distant I'd been with all of my family, blood related or not, since my parents' passing...even more so in the past eight years since I'd come back from Alaska. I'd lost so much time with all of them while being wrapped up in my own little bubble of heartache and loss, not even realizing what I still had and was pushing further away from me with each passing day.

I'd come so far in just the past few weeks, and knowing how good it felt to finally feel like I was where I was meant to be...it made me realize that I never wanted to be that distant closed off person again. My family was just that..._my family_. Through thick and thin, the good and the bad, they'd always be there. For all of the misfortune I'd endured in my life, I'd been blessed with having the people that surrounded us as a part of my life. They'd never be taken for granted again. Not as long as I lived.

"Bro! Come check this shit out!" Emmett boomed, pulling me from my reverie.

"_Emmett Zachary Cullen_! Watch your mouth mister!" Heidi screeched, causing him to cringe as he turned in his seat to face her.

"My bad," he said. I laughed as she quirked a brow at him and shook a spoon in his direction, telling him she has her eye on him.

"Hey baby...where'd you disappear to?" Bella chuckled, pausing momentarily to give me a kiss as I bent down before taking the empty seat next to her.

"Aunt Di pulled me into the kitchen to talk and then I ran into Uncle Aro," I told her as I patted on my legs for her to sit with me. I just wanted her as close to me as I could get at the moment.

"I take it the talk wasn't about the weather?" she asked quietly as she took her seat on my lap.

"No," I sighed as I shook my head and wrapped my arms around her, holding her tightly to me. "I'll tell you about it later."

"Okay," was her simple reply as she tilted her head and kissed my jaw.I nuzzled my face into the crook of her neck and closed my eyes, relishing in our closeness, her smell, and her soothing touch as she caressed my forearms with the tips of her fingers while Rose, Felix, and Emmett all laughed over him getting yelled at.

"Bro...check these out. Me and baby girl made pineapple people," Emmett chuckled, highly amused as I lifted my head and spotted the two pineapples with fruity faces.

"Emmett put balls on his," Rose guffawed, pointing to the kiwi slices at the bottom of his pineapple.

"They're not balls! It's a kiwi bra...you know...like a coconut bra?" he exclaimed as we all laughed hysterically.

"Em...man, they really do look like balls," I chuckled.

"I kept trying to tell him he should have used the nose as a penis instead," Rose laughed as he swatted her away when she pulled off the pineapple stick and tried to put it further down on the pineapple person.

"Wait...wait," Felix sniggered as he speared two cherries into the slices of kiwi. "Now they have nipples."

"What in the world?" Esme gasped from somewhere behind Bella and I. We spun our heads to look at her and laughed at the look on her face.

"_Busted_," Rose tittered as she placed a hand over her mouth.

"It was Bella's idea!" Emmett cried out instantly, pointing in our direction.

"You brat! It's not my pineapple person with the boobie balls!" she wailed through her laughter.

"Emmett Zachary...I turn my back on you for an hour and you make _pineapple porn_?" she paused as her cheeks and chin trembled with the force of trying to suppress her smile. "Oh good Lord you need to take a picture of that," she laughed, unable to chastise him through her amusement. "Then take those "boobie balls" or whatever they are off that thing and put them on the kids table. I'm sure they'll get a kick out of the G rated versions."

"Sure thing, Ma," he sniggered as she walked off, shaking her head and chuckling under her breath.

By the time everything was set out on the buffet tables, the sun was just about to set completely, leaving our luau on the beach area lit up by tiki torches and colored spotlights as we made our ways through the food lines and found places to sit. The entire beach was filled with the cacophony of so many people talking and laughing together, and childish peals of laughter and squeals breaking through the loud hum periodically. Once we'd all settled in, Aro garnered our attention and rattled off the traditional dinner blessing in Italian.

"Sia la strada al tuo fianco," il vento sempre alle tue spalle,che il sole splenda caldo sul tuo viso,e la pioggia cada dolce nei campi attorno e,finché non ci incontreremo di nuovo,possa Dio proteggerti nel palmo della sua mano."

"What'd he say?" Bella asked as people began clinking their glasses together.

"Uh...roughly translated it's 'May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face, and the rains fall soft upon your fields and, until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand'," I responded, loud enough for Alice and Rosalie to hear as well.

"That's beautiful," Bella said as she smiled.

"It's actually an Irish journey blessing that our grandfather carried with him everywhere he went. I think Carlisle keeps a copy of it in his wallet too," I chuckled. It had always confused me as a kid why a predominantly Italian family would use an Irish poem as the traditional meal blessing. I think the only Irish that was even in my family came from my father, and they'd been using it since well before he'd married my mother.

"Dude...I can't believe you can still understand Italian. I haven't been able to speak that stuff in years," Emmett laughed.

"I can't...not all of it anyway," I chuckled. "I've heard that blessing so many times though that it's been permanently lodged in my brain."

"Good, keep it there," he laughed as Jasper chuckled. "I'm mandating you to recite that crap when it's our turn to stand up there."

"Why me? Make Dominic do it...at least he's fluent in the language," I shot back, laughing as I pointed at Dom a few seats down from us.

"Hey now, I may speak the language but I'm no master of memory...just ask Gianna. I'm lucky if I can remember to take the trash out five minutes after she asks me to," he sniggered, holding his hands up in front of him.

We continued bantering back and forth as we ate, but in the end, it looked like I'd be the one responsible for reciting the traditional blessing at every family gathering. Why we were even arguing over it when it wouldn't be our turn for many years to come...I hadn't the slightest clue, but it was entertaining at the very least.

After eating, we joined some others down on the beach for a little luau style fun. Somewhere in those hours we managed to both hula and conga line dance, try our hand at limbo dancing...where I realized I can no longer go as low as I used to be able to, much to Emmett's endless amusement as he changed the words from 'How low can you go' to 'Eddie can go no low', and played a round of musical bums with the kids. How I even got roped into that one, I can't say, but every time the music stopped, I found myself laughing hysterically as I dropped my ass down to the sand. It didn't take the kids long to eliminate the adults, leaving us sitting off on the sidelines as we continued to watch them play the beach version of musical chairs.

Around ten, we said goodnight to all the kids as they made their way off the beach with Diane, Sasha, and Alistair who were taking them back to Diane and Marcus's house for the night, and not five minutes after they pulled away from the resort, did Emmett, Demitri, and Felix all start lugging coolers down to the beach. Within minutes they had two huge bonfires going and I silently rejoiced in the fact that Bella and I had taken the bike.

Before long, alcohol was flowing abundantly, music was floating through the air, drifting down to us on the beach from the speakers set up on a small platform just next to the main tiki bar, and everyone had congregated in one of two areas - sitting around the bonfires chatting while roasting marshmallows, or dancing under the stars. I couldn't have been more content if I'd tried, laying on my side as Bella sat in front of me and lounged back against me as I curled my frame around her. She was laughing as she tried to show Emmett how to roast the perfect 'mallow' for a s'more as he kept torching his, turning them into charred smelly clumps of blackened burnt sugar.

"Emmett!" she laughed. "Quit stickin' it _in_ the fire ya putz!"

"How else am I supposed to brown it oh wise one?" he shot back with a goofy grin.

"Hold it _over_ the flames...not _in_ them! The heat will brown it and make it all melty and delicious without turning it into a stinky crispy critter," she cried out, shaking with laughter as he burnt yet another one. "Oh for the love of roasted 'mallows...gimme your crackers and chocolate."

He grinned and winked at me as he laughed and handed them over. That turd had been burning them on purpose so she'd make him one of the masterfully pieced together s'mores she'd been making and sharing with me for the last fifteen minutes. I bit my lip and shook my head as she delicately extracted her perfectly toasted marshmallow onto the chocolate and covered it with the other graham cracker. I laughed when he reached out to take it from her and she smacked his hand away.

"Let it melt the chocolate for a minute Mister Impatience," she snickered and then gasped as I snatched it from her fingers and brought it to my lips, laughing as Emmett groaned and threw his roasting stick at me, calling me an ass for stealing his s'more.

"That wasn't nice, Edward," Bella chastised, unable to stop the smile from spreading across her lips as I darted my tongue out and dragged it up the side of the sweet treat, collecting all the melted chocolate and marshmallow oozing out of the side of it. "Say you're sorry to Emmett."

"_Mine_," I growled and then bit into it. She laughed and shook her head as she looked down at me and moved to wipe something off the side of my lip. I snapped my teeth at her, growling and she startled with a slight yelp before guffawing loudly as she slapped my arm.

"You know...if you need some time alone with _my _s'more, baby girl can always come sit with me to give you two some privacy," Emmett teased. I pouted at Bella and looked between the cookie creation and her before holding it up, offering for her to take a bite of it. Just when her lips parted and it was nearly in her mouth, I pulled it back and took a hearty bite of it.

"You little punk," she spluttered through her chuckles and smashed it against my lips as everyone sitting around us busted out laughing. I tossed the mangled sweet into the fire and yanked her down to me as I laughed, crashing my lips against hers and smearing all the gooeyness across her mouth as she squealed.

"Mmm...that s'more was good, but you're sweeter," I chuckled as I pulled away.

"Thanks for that, honey. I can feel the stickiness and chocolate all over my face now," she snickered as she tried to wipe away the mess I'd made of us. Her efforts were futile however so I sat up and drizzled some water onto the bottom of my shirt for both of us to wipe our faces off with. My shirt was destroyed with Maddie's cherry ice pop stains anyway.

"Can you guys believe we only have eleven days left? Where did this last month go?" Alice asked from her perch in Jasper's lap as I handed Bella another marshmallow so she could make Emmett's s'more so he'd quit sulking.

"You know what they say, Ali...time flies when you're having fun," Bella chuckled lightly, rubbing a hand over my shoulder comfortingly as she held Emmett's marshmallow over the fire.

"I wonder if my mom killed my houseplants yet," Alice giggled with a thoughtful look on her face.

"I'm pretty sure mine were dead to start with when you two hauled me out of my apartment," Bella snickered back. "Probably looked like Morticia Addams lived there."

"That ficus tree I bought you seemed to be doing well," Ali piped in and Bella cracked up.

"Yeah...I killed that one. I replaced it with a plastic one and hoped you wouldn't notice."

"You didn't!" she wailed as she threw a graham cracker at her. Bella just laughed and swatted it away as she nodded.

"Your shirt should say _Doctor_ _Death_, not Bookworm," Alice snickered as she shook her head.

We sat around laughing over some of the things Bella's managed to kill over the past few years, the ficus tree, numerous houseplants and window herb gardens, fish, and a cactus to name a few. How she killed a cactus when they require next to nothing to survive baffled the hell out of me.

"Hey..." Bella said as her brow furrowed while looking off into the distance down the beach. "Is that Irina?"

I sat up and looked in the direction she was along with everyone else to see Irina walking slowly across the sand toward the water. I looked around as Emmett confirmed it was Irina, wondering where her clone was and hoping like hell she wasn't lurking around somewhere waiting for her chance to ruin our evening. I didn't see her though, and that kind of struck me as odd for some reason.

"Wonder if there's trouble brewing in Bitchville...don't they usually travel as the double D's? You know...the duo of disdain?" Alice asked, snickering softly as she turned back around on Jasper's lap.

"Maybe they got into a fight wherever they went tonight after Aro told them it'd be better if they didn't come to the kickoff dinner after what happened this morning. If they did, it's possible that Tanya's staying somewhere over in Brazil for the rest of her vacation," I said with a shrug and Bella snorted as she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I'll believe that just as soon as I'll believe that it's gonna start snowing here in the next thirty seconds," she scoffed as Emmett barked out a laugh.

"She's right, man. From what we've seen...that outcome is highly unlikely," Jasper chuckled.

"Oh my God," Rosalie laughed as she came jogging up to us. "You guys just missed Demitri doing the can opener, the running man, _and _the Kid n' Play."

I turned and spotted him trying to "pop and lock", and looking like a complete jackass in the process. I cracked up hysterically as he transitioned into the robot and Felix tried to mimic him. My God my family was retarded sometimes.

"Em...you know what this means don't you?" I chuckled as I turned my head to look at him.

"Hell yeah, bro! It's time to resurrect the Cabbage Patch!" he crowed, jumping up from the sand.

I stood as the girls and Jasper all started laughing and pulled Bella up from the ground. By the time we reached Demitri and Felix, a few people had formed a circle, each one taking a turn to bust out some old school dance moves. We laughed as we joined the circle and as soon as Felix pulled himself up from doing the worm, Emmett and I jumped in and broke out with the Cabbage Patch. We cracked up like idiots as we swung our arms and rotated in circles.

"Come on baby girl! Let's see whatcha got!" Em boomed as we laughed and made our way to the edge of the circle. She, Rose, and Alice looked at each other and nodded, apparently already knowing what dance the three of them would do.

They lined up in the center, and as if on cue, the three of them started doing the Roger Rabbit. God I hadn't seen anyone do that one in _years_!

"Let's go, _Lurch_! Don't get all shy on us now!" Demitri laughed as he clapped along with everyone else circling around us.

"Bite me, _Twinkletoes_,"Jasper chuckled, shaking his head and making his way into the circle. I had no idea what old school moves he would pull out, but I knew he knew a plethora of them. He shook his head one more time as he laughed under his breath, and then broke out into...the MC Hammer shuffle. It was friggen hilarious!

Everyone took turns jumping into the circle, breaking out dances I hadn't seen people do in years, like the washing machine - Esme, the fishing pole and reel in - Kate and Garrett, the rodeo - Dominic and Alec, the Egyptian - Marcus, the locomotive - Gianna and Julie, the loveshack shimmy - Jane and Toby, the funky chicken (done ever so amusingly by Uncle Richie and Lorenzo)...hell even Carlisle himself jumped in and did the sprinkler....the _sprinkler_ for crying out loud. I don't think we've all laughed that much _ever_.

By the time midnight rolled around, and we'd run out of old school moves to share, I was exhausted and ready to head for home. Bella and I made the rounds, bidding everyone goodnight and promising to see them at breakfast the next morning, before heading back to the house. I drove slowly, just enjoying Bella's arms around me and the wind in my hair as I traveled the familiar path.

Pulling into the garage, my body was at complete war with itself. I was physically exhausted, but still mentally wired, leaving me feeling sluggish yet jittery at the same time.

"Care to take a walk on the beach with me?" I asked Bella as we made our way into the house hand in hand.

"I'd love to...it's a beautiful night for one," she smiled at me, kicking her shoes off at the door and then following me through the house.

We walked out the back and down the stone steps to the beach, her tiny fingers laced through mine and my thumb tracing circles on the inside of her palm as we walked. My mind was reeling with all the things I felt we needed to talk about, but I wasn't sure how to even approach any of it without disrupting the calm content of our current moods after having thoroughly enjoyed our evening together. My gaze flickered restlessly between the dark water lapping at the shore and the stars shining brightly above, wondering where to start or even if any of it was truly worth bringing up at that precise moment.

"Penny for your pensive thoughts?" she asked softly, squeezing my hand gently. I sighed and came to a stop in our stroll as I looked down at her. She was so beautiful, bathed in moonlight that cast a slightly bluish glow upon her tanned skin, her eyes as deep and dark as the water rolling ashore, creating its own ethereal cadence.

"Sit with me?" I asked as I turned us toward the water and lowered myself into the sand. She folded herself down between my legs and leaned back against my chest as I wrapped my arms around her, my head hovering just above her shoulder.

"Aunt Di and I had a long talk today...she's worried about you, love," I told her as I stared out at the vast expanse of blackness before us. It was almost hard to tell where the heavens ended and the ocean began.

"Worried? Why?" she asked instantly, tilting her head to the side to look at me.

"Aunt Heidi and Kate told her about what happened between you and Tanya yesterday. The kids told her what happened today...she's worried about what constantly having to defend our relationship to people is going to do to you...to us," I said as I laced our fingers together and wrapped both of our arms around her.

"She told you everything?" she asked warily. I nodded as I brushed my lips against her temple.

"Edward, I'm sorry," she sighed. "I'm sorry I told her what you said about your history with her. I had no right to repeat that...to her or anyone."

"Bella," I chuckled, tightening my embrace. "I could care less that you told her that I thought she was less than memorable. I couldn't give a damn in the world if you told her there were times I had to imagine she was someone else just to be able to be intimate with her. It isn't _her _feelings I'm worried about. It's yours."

"Look at me baby," I said as I pulled my head to the side. When she turned her head to face mine, I disentangled one of my arms and cupped the side of her face. "What bothers me is that you didn't tell me what happened. I don't like knowing that she tried to make you feel like you mean anything less to me than you really do. You're my entire world, Bella. All the happiness I have, I've found within you. Please don't ever let anyone make you feel like what we have isn't real."

We spent a while just sitting there talking, with her trying to reassure me that nothing Tanya had said to her had made her question how I felt about her, and me trying to reassure her that regardless of what hearing about something did to my mood, I wanted her to tell me. It was important to me for her to know that she could always come to me, no matter what, and that I'd always be there both for her and with her to face whatever obstacles life placed in our paths. It wasn't necessary for her to feel the need to shield me from any part of this situation when it was because of me and my past that it was all happening in the first place. If anyone should be bearing the brunt of it, it was me...not her.

"Did Diane tell you what Heidi said to them afterwards? I'm almost afraid to ask because the tone of her voice when she first yelled at them actually made _me _jump," she laughed as we lifted ourselves up off the sand and headed back toward the house.

"Yeah, she did...I'm actually kind of bummed I missed the live event. From what Aunt Di said, it was popcorn and boxed candy worthy," I chuckled as I pulled her into my side. "She went off on Irina first about needing to get herself in check because everyone in the family has had it with her and her attitude problem. That if she didn't learn how to treat the people around her with respect, and in the quickness, she was going to be written off completely. She even dropped the bomb on her that her parents are going to kick her out of the house when they get back if she can't make it through this week without them being asked to remove her from the island again.

"Then she lit into Tanya, telling her she didn't give a shit who she was or where she came from, but as far as anyone on the island was concerned, she's an outsider, a guest at most, and needs to remember that when she's interacting with any member of the family. She also warned her that if she was to put her hands on, or even approach another child here in an aggressive manner, she'd personally see to it that she wasn't only removed from the island, but she'd be led away in handcuffs and in desperate need of medical attention."

"See...that right there is why your aunt makes me jump. I'm telling you, Edward, the women in your family are _fierce_. They're a damn force to be reckoned with and one that I pray to God I never cross," she snickered. I just laughed and hugged her closer to me.

"I think you're pretty safe when it comes to the matriarchs of my family, love," I said with a slight chuckle. "They all adore you...come to think of it, I think they're more fond of you than they are of me."

"Oh that's a bunch of bunk and you know it!" she guffawed loudly.

"No I'm serious! Look at how Aunt Di ripped into me when you got sunburned, or how Esme tore me a new one for acting reckless on the bike!" I wailed through my laughter. "And if _that_ doesn't prove it, Heidi, who you knew for all of a single _day_, tells you to call her Aunt Heidi and then proceeds to tell Tanya that she doesn't have a wing and a prayer of ever amounting to even half the woman you are and that I'd have to be the world's stupidest imbecile if I ever even _thought_ about leaving you for her for even a fraction of a second...which she's entirely right by the way."

"She really said all that?" she asked and then bit her bottom lip.

"No...I just made it up for shits and giggles," I scoffed, rolling my eyes and then winking at her. "_Yes_ she really said all that...though quite a bit more colorfully from what I hear."

"Have I mentioned today how much I love your family?" she snickered as we brushed our feet off at the back door before entering the house.

"They love you too, Bella. Ever since they've all met the three of you they've done nothing but rant and rave about how wonderful you, Alice, and Rosalie are," I told her sincerely.

I couldn't count how many times I'd been told how happy someone was for the three of us for finding such lovely women to share our lives with over the past three days. I'd lost count the very first day how many times members of my family smiled at any of the girls and us in that fond and adoring way when they'd pass by us. It wasn't hard for them to see how happy we were, and that alone had guaranteed their acceptance of our girls, but it was who Bella, Alice, and Rosalie are on the inside and how they radiate their individual inner beauty that enamored and endeared themselves to everyone.

Upon entering our room, I immediately locked the bedroom door behind me, not wanting to chance another person being able to just waltz into our room unexpected and uninvited. I took Bella's hands in mine and led her into the bathroom and started the shower before slowly undressing her, trailing my hands and lips across each new inch of skin I revealed in the process.

Once we were under the steaming spray of water, I didn't want to rush, or tease, or even twist her into positions that would have her screaming my name while being fucked six ways til Sunday. I just wanted to be connected to her, to feel her surround me as I lavished her body with all the love and affection I felt for her. I wanted her to _feel _how loved she was, not just hear it. I could tell her I loved her a hundred different ways, use thousands of words to try to explain the depth of my feelings, but not one of those words would ever be enough. I wanted to show her with my actions, make her _feel_ how vital a part of me she was.

Every gentle touch and caress, every pass of my lips and tongue over her delicate skin, every painfully slow and deep thrust into her heavenly heat, spoke of all the things words would forever fail to precisely depict. Every action was part of a silent vow, declaration, and a plea for her to understand that I was, and would always be, only hers.

That night, as I slept with Bella's warm and naked body curled into mine protectively, I dreamt of my parents for the first time in years. No words were spoken, but as they embraced me, I was enveloped in a cocoon of warmth, love, and pride as flashes of images sped through my mind.

Bella and I dancing in the club.

Bella and I on the bike earlier that very day, heading toward the resort.

Bella in a white dress walking across the sand toward me.

Me in a small fishing boat, pole in hand and wearing the tackiest vest and hat that I'd ever seen, complete with vibrantly colored fishing lures attached, sitting next to what appeared to be another man who I couldn't identify, but the image was accompanied with an overwhelming sense of familial love.

Bella's belly swollen with child, my hands on either side as we lounged on blankets in front of a fire.

A beautiful baby boy, all copper fuzz and eyes greener than the purest of emeralds, swaddled in a blue blanket in my arms.

Bella flying down a slide with a small boy, no older than two with wild bronze hair, nestled closely to her chest as he sat on her lap. Both of them with smiles as wide as the Grand Canyon.

Me with the same little boy riding on my shoulders, standing in between Emmett and Jasper, both with children atop their shoulders, a brown haired blue eyed boy on Jasper's and a platinum blonde blue eyed girl with pig tails on Emmett's, all of us wearing Seahawks jerseys.

A slew of images raced through my mind, some of just the two of us, many of either one or both of us with a mix of our family members. As they flew past, I couldn't help but notice the sequence in which they were displayed. It wasn't random by any means. It was as if I was watching my life in fast forward, the reel only slowing on certain images. The final one nearly buckled my knees as I clutched onto my parents, desperate to feel them and know that what I was seeing and feeling was somehow real.

It looked to be a Christmas postcard, the bottom reading Merry Christmas from the Masens. In it sat Bella and I in front of a beautiful glowing Christmas tree, presents abound on the floor to the sides, and three children sitting below us. That familiar boy in the middle, and two heartbreakingly beautiful little girls on either side of him, one nearly identical to Bella and the other a thorough mix of the two of us with dark brown wavy hair and bright green eyes. Between Bella and I was nestled another child no older than two or three. Another boy, this one with Bella's brown hair and deep soulful eyes. What caught my eye more than anything else in the picture was the glow about Bella's face, her radiant smile...and her massively swollen belly beneath her white sweater.

As the image faded from my mind, a haunting whisper invaded my hearing.

"_We'll always be with you._"

I shot straight up in bed, gasping and nearly sobbing as the words and the feeling of their arms around me teetered at the edge of my conscious mind and the scent of honeysuckles and spicy cologne - the familiar and long gone scents of my parents - lingering in my senses. My eyes darted everywhere around the room, almost certain I hadn't been dreaming. It had sounded too real. I had _felt _too goddamn real for me to have been sleeping...but there was nothing. Only the moonlight floating in through the glass wall and Bella's beautiful slumbering form swathed in bluish white light curled up beside me.

I laid back down, my arm raised over my head as I tried to calm my breathing and quell the tears that were building in my eyes. It was all too much. It had been too perfect...watching every one of my hopes and dreams for our future come true before my very eyes. Compounding all of it were the words of my parents saying they'd always be with me while filling every one of my senses with their presence. I didn't know if it could even be true...but _Jesus_...if it was...if what they'd shown me was actual glimpses of the rest of my life as if to prove to me they'd be there with me...I didn't know what to make of it.

The only thing I was sure of, was that if those were _real_ images of things to come, of what our future held in store for us, I was going to be one damn lucky and disgustingly happy son of a gun til the day I died.

I rolled over and pulled Bella back into my chest, holding her tightly and brushing the hair away from her angelic face before kissing her forehead and wrapping my other arm around her. I smiled as I gazed at her serene features, bits of my dream still floating through my mind.

"It'll be a boy, love. Our first born, and he'll be perfect," I whispered to her. A ghost of a chuckle escaped her as a hint of a smile lifted the corner of her lips. I briefly wondered if she'd heard me in her sleep.

I continued to watch her, unable to fall back asleep myself. I chuckled under my breath each time an unintelligible mumble left her lips, she was so goddamn adorable when she slept. I could watch her all night long.

I had just closed my eyes, thinking her mumblings had ended for the night when she snuggled further into me and hummed. I opened my eyes once again just as a warm smile spread across her face.

"_Zach...ary_," she sighed sluggishly. My brow furrowed as I ran my fingers through her hair.

"Who's Zachary?" I whispered, kissing the top of her head.

"_Beaut...ful baby_," she mumbled after a series of silent moments.

She ghosted another chuckle in her sleep and I watched as she remained silent and the smile faded away, leaving her features peaceful once more. I wondered if she too was dreaming of our future, or of something else entirely different. One thing was for sure, however, and that was that Emmett would _definitely_ get a kick out of our kid being given his middle name.

I closed my eyes once again and expelled a deep breath as I relaxed into the mattress and pillows, ready for sleep to claim me once again.

The next morning I awoke to a gloriously sunny day, not a single could in the sky to be seen, and the memory of my dream placing an irremovable grin on my face. Throughout our morning routines I earned quite a few questionable looks from Bella, who I was positive thought I'd probably gone mad at some point during the night. Each time she asked me what had gotten into me I just shrugged and kissed her before grinning again and telling her I was just happy...because I was. Deliriously so...and it showed.

Not even Felix's jokes at breakfast about my grin coming from getting lucky with Bella's leg again could remove that damn grin. I just laughed and shrugged as I twirled a lock of her hair around my finger and enjoyed my cup of coffee.

"Dude...seriously. What the hell's up with you? I'm about to upchuck over here from all the sheer bliss wafting downwind of you," Demitri laughed, nearly making me choke on the sip of coffee I'd just taken.

"I'd say baby girl's pregnant," Em chuckled, "But _he's _the one glowing like someone shoved a Maglite up his ass."

"You guys are _horrible_," Bella guffawed. "I'm not pregnant...and neither is he unless some mad scientist got his hands on him within the last month. He's just happy... apparently."

"Prego or not...the man looks like he just smoked a big fat bag of cheeba," Rose cackled as she pointed at me.

"For crap's sake...I'm just happy and I have every reason to be. What's the big deal?" I chuckled, rolling my eyes and shaking my head.

"Well I hate to burst your bubble of bliss, but that rainbow coming out of your ass is about to disappear. The clueless tart's just been spotted on the skank-o-dar," Jasper cut in after clearing his throat and pointing somewhere behind Bella and I.

I didn't even bother to turn around and look as she wasn't exactly a sight I'd prefer to see at any point in my day. Not really surprisingly, Bella didn't turn around either. She simply cuddled further into my side as she rolled her eyes.

"Looks like someone's in need of a good spit shine this morning. Rough night last night, _Tang_?" Rosalie snickered as she leaned into Emmett's side and quirked a brow at her.

"No rougher than your morning by the looks of it ya dollar store Barbie knockoff," Tanya spat back as she walked by.

"Is that supposed to offend me? Because really...I'd rather look like a doll than a vibrantly dyed Easter egg any day of the week," Rose spluttered through her laughter.

"Speaking of eggs...we should really head out," Felix said as he rose from the table. "I promised Maddie I'd be on her team for the relay race."

"I'll meet you guys down there in a few minutes...there's something I need to take care of," I said as I rose from the table.

"Edward..." Bella started, looking warily between me and Tanya's direction.

"It's okay, love. I just need to make a few things clear and then we can spend the rest of the day having fun with the family," I told her quietly, smiling to ease her worry. I leaned down to press a soft kiss against her plump lips and another to her forehead before smiling down at her once more. "I love you, baby."

"I love you too," she sighed, forcing herself to smile.

"Go on...I'll be right behind you," I chuckled, swatting her behind. She smiled a bit more genuinely and nodded before giving me one last kiss and turning to join Ali and Rose who were waiting for her with Emmett, Jasper, and Demitri.

I watched them walk away until they made it down the ramp onto the beach before taking in and expelling a deep breath and turning on my heel. I spotted Tanya sitting by herself at a small table all the way at the far end of the buffet pavilion, not paying me a lick of attention for once. I strode up to her table and spun a chair around before straddling it and eyeing her intently.

"If this is about what I said to your friend's girlfriend or whatever...save it. She started it. I had no intention of saying a word to her," she snipped.

"Actually, it's not. He's my brother by the way...but you would have known that if you had kept your word at any point in our relationship and came with me to meet him...or any other member of my family for that matter," I shot back as my eyes narrowed at her.

"Edward, I'm sorry..." she started and I waved her off.

"I don't want to hear it because it doesn't matter. What's done is done and there's no going back. I only came over here to tell you that whatever this ridiculous game your playing with my fiance is...it stops _now_. She means more to me than you could possibly ever comprehend and I will _not _tolerate you trying to make her think otherwise," I said, my tone severe and laced with venom. "I'm only going to say this once, because I have absolutely _no_ desire to sit here and converse with you when I could be surrounded with people I _actually_ care for. You are a guest here, and if you wish to stay, you better damn well act like one or I'll have you removed."

"Don't test me, Tanya. One more bullshit move on your part and you're out of here. Anything that pertains to you and I is exactly where it should be...exactly where I _want it_ to be...in the past, and it's staying there. Bella's all I'll ever want or need...get over it and get over me because I'm telling you now, there isn't a chance in _hell_ you and I will _ever_ be together again in any way. Not as lovers, not as friends...not even as acquaintances," I stressed, making it as clear to her as verbally possible and then stood from my seat and flipped the chair back around.

I held my hands out in front of me, dismissing whatever it was she was about to say and ignoring the look of hurt and disbelief on her face as I shook my head and spoke again, "I'm done here. Enjoy your breakfast and the rest of your stay because it's the last time you'll be welcomed on this island...as a paying customer or otherwise."

With that I turned and walked away, leaving her behind me to digest both her meal and my words as I went to join the rest of my family.

"You okay?" Bella asked worriedly after jogging up to me once she'd spotted me.

"Perfect, love," I grinned down at her as I walked her backwards and bent my head down for a quick kiss. She eyed me speculatively for a moment as I pulled back and I laughed.

"Bella...I'm fine I swear. I said what I needed to say and left. Stop worrying," I chuckled, wrapping my arms tightly around her and rubbed her back. She stared at me intently for another moment before nodding and accepting my words as the truth, which they most definitely were.

I had everything I could ever ask for; the love of an amazing and beautiful woman, the love of my family, and a future that looked so bright it was nearly blinding. Nothing, not even dealing with Tanya, could ruin the wave of bliss I was riding.

"Okay...if you say so. You and me are with Maddie and Felix," she said, giggling a bit at the end. "Who's getting stuck with the hula hoop part?"

_Oh this ought to be interesting..._

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**A/N: I'm sorry...I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I don't even know what to say other than I'm sorry for how long it took me to update this story. As some of you who talk to me on the ABH forum and on yahoo messenger know, I've been in epic FAIL mode while trying to write for this story. I have no friggen idea what my deal is, nor is it an excuse for not having an update to give you guys for a month. Last chapter was re-written three times before I was satisfied with it...this one...this one topped the cake with a grand total of six rewrites, each one wiping out either the entire chapter content, or at bare minimum half of it. All I can say is please bear with me, the end of this story is in sight and we don't have that much further to go. I think part of my epic fail lately may be due to the fact that I just don't want to let this story go...I don't want it to end...ever...but it has to. **

**For those of you who are wondering, at this point, I foresee about six more chapters until the final epilogue. I'm hoping and praying to have it done by Christmas so that I can focus on some new possible story lines in the new year. **

**Just in case I suffer cerebral flatulence of severe proportions yet again...may I suggest the following stories from my currently reading list to keep you entertained: **

**How to Save a Life by unholy(dot)obsession (this story currently PWNS me...seriously...I think I may be a HF addict - and yeah...you need to take out the (dot) and put in a .)**

**Edward Wallbanger by feathersmmmm **

**My Little Black Ache by istandcorrected **

**Breaking Trinity by VvDeadRosesvV **

**Legacy by AutumnDreamer **

**Hydraulic Level 5 by Gondolier**

**Emancipation Proclamation by kharizzmatik**

**Clipped Wings & Inked Armor by hunterhunting**

**The Lost Boys by hwimsey **

**The Lion and The Jackal by Lalina (Read The Sacrificial Lamb first if you haven't yet. TLTJ is the sequel)**

**Abbracciare il Cantante by Bratty-Vamp **


	32. Fairy Tales and One Shoed Heifers

**A/N: Howdy peeps! It's a bloody miracle! I managed to finish a chapter without taking a month to do it and without having to rewrite it a dozen times...I'm totally stoked. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I owe a HUGE thanks to Juliebly for sprucing up parts of this chapter with random drunken idiocy hahahaha. You are the squeeze cheese to my cracker woman!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own much in this world but a bunch of debt. All Twilight related characters within belong to SMeyer...the other crazy ones belong to me ^_^

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Fairy Tales and One Shoed Heifers

BPOV

"Here's how this is going to go!" Carlisle bellowed from the sideline as everyone took their places for the relay race. "The first person on your team will put on a pair of goggles and spin in a circle five times. Then they will run to teammate number two while balancing an egg on a spoon. You drop your egg, you start over. You break your egg, you lose. Understood?"

With a round of laughter and nods, he proceeded.

"Teammate number two, you must put on the goggles and the flippers beside you before taking the spoon and egg. Once the spoon and egg are in hand, you have to find a way to spin your hula hoop ten times around your hips. If you drop your egg, you have to start your hula count over. Break it, your team loses. We clear so far?"

Again, another round of laughter and nods and he continued again.

"Once you've completed your hula hoops, pass one of your flippers to your partner and tie two of your legs together. The two of you will then run your egg down to the last person on your team. Once there, pass all of your snorkel gear to your teammate, make sure they put all of it on and...where's Edward?! Edward!"

"What?!" Edward boomed from the end of our line.

"You _cannot _put the egg and spoon in your mouth and the flippers on your arms! Let's be fair this year!" Carlisle yelled as everyone busted out laughing.

"Aye, aye Cap'n!" Edward yelled as he saluted him. I smiled and winked at him, happy that he was still in such a good mood after his "talk" with the wicked one.

I'll admit it, I didn't like leaving him behind to deal with her on his own, not because I didn't trust him or anything, but because I didn't want her doing anything to stress him out. With all her flirtatious behavior and inappropriately forward comments failing, I wouldn't have put it past her to try initiating something physical with him, and I worried how that would affect him if it happened. I had no idea what was said or done after we left him behind, but I was just glad that it didn't seem to have had any effect on him and he was still appearing to have a good time. At the very least, it seemed she kept her hands and plastic boobs to herself...which was a miracle in and of itself in my book, especially after all her cleavage flaunting and attempts to touch him during the volleyball game just the day before.

"Alright," Carlisle laughed, "Once they've donned all the gear, spin them five times and aim them in the right direction. They will run the egg back to the first person on your team. Again, you drop your egg, you go back to the start of your position. You break it, you lose. Everyone ready?"

"Yeah!" we all yelled in unison. I laughed and looked over at Alice who was in the same position as I was in the next lane over.

"How'd I get stuck here? I can't hula hoop," I chortled as her head fell back and she laughed.

"Me either!" she tittered.

"On your marks...get set...GO!" Carlisle boomed.

Instantly five kids in the first positions, Angelo, Renata, Benjamin, Maddie, and Natalie started trying to throw their goggles on their heads before pressing their foreheads to the end of a bat and spinning around it in circles. Benjamin was the first one done and took his egg and spoon from Esme. Two steps down the lane and he dropped it as he wobbled to the side.

"Come on Maddie! That a girl!" Felix boomed from beside me as she grabbed her spooned egg. She stood still for a moment, only wobbling slightly as she tried to steady the spoon in her hands before taking her first tentative steps.

"Nice and steady honey!" I cheered, clapping excitedly. She laughed and wobbled again, nearly dropping the egg as her expression turned to one of shock and almost fear. It was comical to say the least.

By the time Maddie made it half way down the lane, poor Natalie had already had to restart three times, and I doubted the poor thing would be able to make it across the sand without the damn egg anymore she was so dizzy. Angelo wasn't in much better shape, swaying to and fro with every step he took. Renata and Maddie seemed to know the trick to it, which was odd because they were the youngest of the bunch, Maddie being only four and Renata being five, yet, it was the two of them that were taking the slow and focused steps.

"Daddy! I can't see!" Maddie yelled, her goggles slipping down her face. Her voice was muffled as part of it was covering her mouth while she tried to push it back up...and then her egg fell.

"Oh no!" she cried out as she bent down hurriedly and scooped it up. She ran all the way back to the start, egg and spoon cradled to her chest as she held up her goggles with one hand. Diane quickly fixed her and helped her spin around the bat again before handing her the spooned egg again and sending her back on her way. Felix and I cheered and clapped her on, but her focus was solely on the egg. I doubted she could even hear us as she held the handle of the spoon with two hands, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she wobbled down the lane.

"Yay, Renata!" Alice squealed as the little girl made it to her. I laughed as I watched Alice struggle with putting the goggles and flippers on, Sasha trying her best to help her.

"I did it!" Maddie squeaked when she finally made it to us. Felix took the goggles off of her as I struggled to put the flippers on as he adjusted the size of them before tossing them over my head. They were crooked as sin, squishing my nose to the side and fogging horribly as I laughed while trying to right them.

Now, hula hooping is not one of my talents on a good day, but trying to hula hoop while wearing goggles, flippers, _and _balancing an egg on a spoon? Yeah...not as easy as some may think. I tried holding it in my hand while Felix spun the hula hoop to get it started, and dropped the egg. I tried holding the end of the spoon in my mouth while I spun the hula hoop to get it started, and dropped the egg. Hell...we tried _everything_, and I dropped the egg.

Looking to the side, I spotted Alice picking her egg up again and shot her a sympathetic, albeit amused, glance.

"This is friggen impossible!" she laughed.

"Eight, nine, ten! Flipper Kate, flipper!" Rose crowed. Of course Rosalie would make hula hooping while balancing an egg look as easy as walking and chewing gum at the same time...which has presented issues for me in the past.

I once choked on a piece of gum when I tripped off a curb and nearly inhaled it when I gasped.

"Oh forget this...gimme the egg and spoon, Felix!" I growled, snatching it from him. He guffawed when I tucked it into my bikini top, making sure it was nestled so it was still sitting atop the spoon. I was not about to lose this race to Rose because I couldn't do both at one time.

I spun that stupid hula hoop around my hips for all I was worth as Felix laughed and counted off the spins. I looked down our lane and spotted Edward and Jasper nearly rolling around in the sand at the sight of all of us as they laughed.

"Ten!" Felix boomed and I let the hoop fall to the ground as I brought my right leg up to pull off the flipper. I tossed it to him as I grabbed the bandana and smashed our legs together, tying it around them as he put the flipper on his right foot.

"We're so cheating...just keep a hold of that damn egg and hold on," Felix laughed as he stood. I had no idea what he was talking about until he wrapped his arm around my waist and lifted me into his side. I laughed as he started booking it for Edward...and I dropped the egg.

"Future Mrs. Leggy McHumperson...work with me here, will ya?" he laughed as he let go of me and I bent over to pick the egg up. Thankfully, we hadn't broken it yet.

"Alright...got it. Let's go," I laughed. He swung his arm around me and we started again from the beginning of our position.

"You're jostling me too much! It's gonna fall!" I cracked up, seconds before the egg, indeed, did fall again.

"Crap! This isn't working!" he bellowed. We picked the egg up and rushed back to the starting point.

"Okay, you hold the egg," I said as I passed it to him. "Right leg first, go..."

"Left, right...no! Your right!" I wailed as he hopped and tried to take another step with his left, that was tied to my right and the movement nearly made us fall into a heap.

"Woman! Why are you telling me right when you're stepping with your left?" he bellowed through his laughter.

"Because you need to step with your right when I do with my left!" I wailed back, laughing hysterically as we hobbled back toward the start.

"Third time's the charm," he chuckled. "We're doing this inside outside, got it?"

"It's the fourth, but I got it...you count it off," I laughed.

We started taking steps, with him calling inside and outside with each step, and pretty soon we found ourselves moving fluidly across the sand...well as fluidly as we could with one foot each in a flipper. We were tossing sand all over the place and laughing at our awkward progression, but damnit, we had a good rhythm going. I looked down the beach and laughed hysterically at the heap of tangled arms and legs that had become of Rosalie and Kate, but sobered up when I spotted Alice and Sasha nearly running together with ethereal grace.

"Oh my god...move it Felix! They're gaining on us!" I shrieked.

"We're half way there...just focus. Outside, inside, outside, inside," he laughed as Edward was yelling his encouragements at us.

We finally reached Edward just as Alice and Sasha got to Jasper and it was a race to get Edward in all of his snorkel gear. I zipped up his vest as he pulled the goggles over his head and then Felix handed him the bat. He flew around it five times and grabbed the spooned egg from me. I laughed when he made it all of about ten steps and nearly fell, dropping the egg in the process. He picked it up and did this funny waddle run back to us to do another five spins around the bat.

"Jesus...I think I'm gonna be sick," he chuckled, taking the egg back from me again.

"Come on, Leggy McHumperson...if you win this, maybe Bella will give you some steamy hot thigh tonight," Felix guffawed and I swatted him while I laughed, unable to suppress my amusement at Edward's sardonic grin as he shuffled backward quickly through the sand. He shot me a wink through his goggles as his shoulders shook and he turned around.

"He kinda looks like a duck," Felix chuckled as we watched Edward's legs swing out to the side as he picked up the pace, trying to jog in his flippers. He kind of really did resemble a duck and the imagery of it had me in tear inducing hysterics.

What was worse was seeing Emmett galloping down his lane, kicking sand _everywhere_ with a cheesy ass grin on his face. The man positively looked like a loony bin escapee!

"You're gonna eat my sand, bro!" he bellowed, nearly neck and neck with Edward. Poor Jasper and Demitri were struggling a few feet behind, desperately trying not to drop their eggs as their fins battled with the sand, and Dominic hadn't even started making the run back yet as Julie and Alec were still toppling over each other in the three legged run.

"Dream on fat boy! You can't catch me!" Edward guffawed back, quickening his waddle jog.

"I'm not fat!" Em wailed, his galloping step faltering and his hand moving frantically trying to keep his egg on his spoon.

"Whatever you say Manboobs McGee!" Edward chortled. Felix and I were nearly falling to the ground with our laughter at the two of them kicking sand at each other as they tried to run.

"They're not boobs! They're pecs ya lanky wanker," Emmett roared...and then it happened.

The tip of Emmett's flipper got caught in the sand, sending him stumbling and wobbling forward off balance...and right into Edward's back. The two of them crashed into the ground with waves of pristine white sand flying everywhere. The last thing I saw before falling to the ground in a fit of laughter was Edward's egg flying up in the air above them and splattering on the back of Emmett's head.

"Yeah!" Demitri crowed. "Victory shall be mine!"

"Not on your life Twinkletoes!" Jasper shouted, picking up his pace.

"Did he..." I wheezed through my laughter, tears streaming down my face. "Did he...just...quote..._Stewie Griffin_?"

"Yeah...oh God...I can't breathe," Felix panted, still laughing uncontrollably as he bent over with his hands on his knees.

"Go Jazzy go!" Alice shrilled at the top of her lungs. Her deafening squeal when an air horn blasted through the air told me Jasper had won the race and I laughed breathlessly as Felix pulled me up off the sand.

I looked down our lane and spotted Edward and Emmett sprawled out across the sand, both laughing and out of breath, their stomachs rising and falling rapidly from their exertion.

"_That_ was some of the funniest crap I've ever seen," Rosalie spluttered as she linked her arm through mine and we made our way down the beach to our men.

"I _know_!" I chortled. "What in the hell was that gallop trot Emmett was doing?"

"Psh...gallop trot? Did you check out your man and that '_Howard the Duck_'waddle?" she shot back, rolling her eyes as she laughed and mimicked his run.

I cracked the hell up at her impersonation and instantly broke into Emmett's gallop trot, which had her clutching her stomach as she guffawed. God, I hadn't felt so light and carefree in my entire life. I'd never imagined I'd ever be one of those people whose lives seemed to be filled with joy, but every way I turned and looked, it was there. The joy was there in all the people that surrounded us, in their laughter and smiles, in their embraces, and even in their juvenile razzing.

Once upon a time I could have counted the people I considered to be family on two hands, and now, in just the span of the few days that I'd gotten to know all of these people around me, I had more people that I could call family than I could have ever imagined I'd have in a lifetime.

When they'd first described their very large and somewhat unconventional family, I couldn't understand how so very many people who weren't genetically bound to each other could have such close bonds. Sure, Rosalie, Alice and I considered each other sisters, but we were _three _people who had basically spent our entire lives together. We weren't nearly forty people from all around the globe only truly connected by the friendships of their forefathers.

It only took one afternoon with them, however, to clearly understand the phenomenon that was their family. The bonds may have started with three young boys nearly a century earlier, but through tradition and raising their children together, it had spread so much further than just their close friendships. It reminded me of the old adage "It takes a village to raise a child" because essentially that's what they'd done from the beginning. They'd formed their own village, their own family, and together instilled all of their traditions and family values into the new generations for them to carry forward.

Looking around, it was easy to see that every person standing on the beach was not just a member of their own family unit, but a part of something much larger. Each person was a Cullen, a Volturi, and a Mezcalito - a part of each of the three original founders of their incredible family, and no matter how many new surnames were added to the list, or how many new people joined the family by birth or marriage, they too would carry the founding family names in their hearts because these people were bound by something stronger than blood. They were bound by love.

"Baby...love..._help_," Edward chuckled breathlessly, reaching out to me with one arm.

I swallowed the lump of emotion that had risen in my throat and smiled as I took his hand, which he instantly tugged, making me squeal in laughter as I fell to the sand beside him.

"Is my eyebrow all jacked up?" he asked, pulling me nearly on top of him. I snickered as I pushed the slightly fogged snorkeling mask off his face.

"Right here," he pouted adorably as he pointed to the corner of his brow. "Tubby over there took me down like a sack of bricks and the mask smashed into my eyebrow."

"I'm not friggen fat twig-boy!" Emmett wailed, thrusting his leg out and kicking Edward in the calf. Edward grimaced and laughed at the same time as he drew his leg up and rubbed it with his hand.

"It's a little red, but I think you'll live," I chuckled, leaning my head down to kiss his brow.

"Hey...howcome you're not kissing my boo-boos, Rosie?" Emmett whined.

"Awww, ya big baby...where's it hurt?" Rose cooed. Edward and I looked over just in time to see Emmett grin and waggle his eyebrows at her as he grabbed her hand and placed it...right on his junk.

"Emmett!" Rose and I screeched at the same time.

"What?! He kicked me in the balls on his way down!" he cried out as I busted out laughing.

"I love you, Em," Rose snickered, shaking her head as she leaned down to peck his lips. "But if you think I'm kissing _that_ in front of everyone...you're certifiably insane."

"Just hearing you say you love me takes all the pain away," he grinned goofily.

"Man...and I thought you were the cheesy one of the bunch," I teased Edward. "It must run in the family."

"You love my cheese and you know it," Edward chuckled as he attacked my sides with his fingers. I yelped and squealed as he rolled us in the sand, expertly avoiding all my attempts to block him.

"Mercy! Dear God mercy!" I wailed breathlessly.

"Admit it! You love my cheesiness!" he demanded through his laughter, not relenting on his attack.

"Yes I love it! Now stop!" I guffawed.

"I love you, my Bella," he chuckled and then nipped at my chin.

"I love you too," I grinned, leaning my head up to kiss him.

"It's like watching mating rituals on the Discovery channel," someone snickered. My head shot in the direction of the voice, only to find countless pairs of eyes staring down at the four of us with amused grins. Of course my face burst into flames, as did Edward's ears and neck as he dropped his face into my chest and groaned.

"Alright...show's over," he laughed, picking his head up and shaking it.

They just laughed and started to disperse as Edward and I sat up and he started removing his vest and flippers. Once he had them off he stood and helped me up off the sand and I held a hand out to Rose. Together she and I pulled Emmett up and helped them pick up all the snorkel gear off the beach.

By the time lunchtime was approaching, we were all having a blast. We'd gone through at least a dozen rounds of tug of war across the pool where each and every single one of us ended up soaked by the end from being pulled in, we'd had a canon ball/belly flop contest...where it was a close call between whether it was Emmett or Felix that had made the biggest splash. After the two of them were through Alice, Rose and I were amazed there was any water left in the pool _at all_.

Rosalie and I had nearly slipped off our seats on the steps of the pool while laughing at Alice's attempt at a canon ball because she'd barely even made a ripple in the water. It's pretty hilarious when a seven year old can beat your splash factor without even trying, and by not trying I mean by falling off the diving board because Jasper playfully stomped up behind him like he was going to push him off.

As we dried off, Emmett and Edward decided to entertain the kids while we waited for lunch to be ready with a rousing game of "Emmett Says". We all cracked up hysterically when all the kids yelled "It's _Simon Says_!" because Emmett got this confused look on his face and responded with "But my name's Emmett...not Simon."

Not a single one of us could figure out if he was serious or not, which only made it that much more hysterical. Even Edward had a hard time getting through the game without busting out laughing every time Emmett gave out an order starting with "Emmett says..."

Lunch was a boisterous affair, with kids running to and fro between tables, the little ones, mainly Vinnie, Maddie, and Renata, pretty much ignoring the plates their parents had made them and opting instead to steal bites from other people's plates. I think I lost at least half of my potato salad and burger to Vinnie, who, after making his rounds at all the tables, decided to camp out on my lap with a sippy cup in one hand and his kiddie fork in the other.

Not ten minutes after he'd settled in, Maddie and Renata followed, Maddie hopping up on Edward and Renata perching herself in Alice's lap.

"Honey...I think we've been disowned," Dominic chuckled as he pointed at Vinnie in my lap. He'd reclined himself back, resting his head against my chest as he sucked on his sippy cup and tangled his chubby little hand into the ends of my hair, keeping a thick lock of it next to his ear.

"Hey, as long as he's content, so am I," Gianna laughed as she shook her head. "It's not often we can actually sit through an entire meal without chasing him halfway across the _planet_. He gives new meaning to the phrase 'eating on the go'."

"We should probably try to put him down for a nap so he doesn't pass out early and wake up at four am again," Dominic sighed as he started to push his chair away from the table.

"I can put him down if you want," I offered, knowing it probably isn't often they get to just enjoy spending time with their family.

"Are you sure? We wouldn't want to burden you...he can be kind of difficult sometimes," Gianna responded.

"It's no burden at all. Sit," I chuckled, "Enjoy a little adult time. I got this."

"Thanks Bella," Dominic smiled. "If he gets to be too much just bring him here and we'll get him down in our bed."

"He'll be fine...no worries," I smiled as I shifted him in my arms and stood from the table. "We'll just be over in one of the cabanas."

"Want me to come with you, love?" Edward asked as he tilted his head up at me.

"And interrupt your killer game of Go Fish?...Never," I laughed, leaning down to give him a kiss. "Love you, have fun."

"Love you too, baby," he replied and pursed his lips for another kiss.

"Looks like it's you and me, buddy. Whatcha think of that?" I asked as I grinned down at Vinnie in my arms. He smiled and his sippy cup whistled as he let out a little giggle that made me snicker.

I brought him back out to the pool area and reclined us back on one of the cabana mattresses. I stretched him out against me, his back against my chest, and he quietly drank from his cup while I ran my fingers through his short curls. It wasn't until he ran out of juice and tossed his cup across the cabana that I encountered my first ever naptime temper tantrum.

I sat up and cradled him as he writhed and did this fake cry and whimper thing that amused me to no end because he'd stop completely when something caught his attention...like my necklace, or a bird flying by, or his toes of all things.

"What are you doin', huh?" I voiced just above a whisper. "I know you're sleepy sillyhead."

I shifted him in my arms so his chest was against mine and I tucked his head into the crook of my neck as I laid back again and began humming to him as I patted his bottom. It seemed to calm him for the most part, but he'd occasionally turn his head to the other side before laying it down again and doing a little whimper cry thing that would trail off as if he'd fallen asleep while doing it. Cutest thing _ever_...though I could imagine it wouldn't be as adorable if it was a routine occurrence.

When he finally seemed to have settled down for good, I quieted my humming and closed my own eyes and smiled at the sounds of jubilant laughter coming from the buffet pavilion.

I'm not sure how long I'd been laying there with him, but I suddenly felt someone's hand glide over the top of my head and heard them kiss what I was assuming was Vinnie's head.

"She's going to make a wonderful mother someday, Lizzie," the person said softly and I smiled as my eyes opened.

_Esme_...

"Oh, I'm sorry dear. I didn't wake you, did I?" she asked apologetically. I chuckled under my breath and shook my head.

"No...I was just relaxing," I said in a hushed tone as she sat down on the edge of the mattress pad.

"Did he give you much trouble? I hear he can be quite a handful," she smiled warmly as she ran a hand down the back of his head, neck, and back.

"He fussed a little, but we got through it," I nodded. "So, do you talk to your sister often?"

"You heard that, huh?" she snickered and I nodded as I smiled.

"Yes...I do," she sighed with a wistful smile. "She would have loved you, you know."

"You really think so?" I asked.

"I know so. You're the epitome of everything she could have ever prayed he'd find in a life partner. You're successful, independent, and smart. You make him laugh and provide him comfort when he needs it, but most of all...you love him entirely for who he is, and not for what he or his family has to offer," she replied, smiling even though a flash of pain passed in her eyes with her last words. I reached out and took a hold of her hand and squeezed it gently as I smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry for what Lauren did to your family. I can't even begin to imagine how badly she hurt all of you with her actions," I spoke sincerely.

Edward had told me of the emotional hardships their divorce had cast upon the family, and it was heart wrenching just to hear. How someone could be so cold as to allow a man as wonderful as Emmett to believe the child he was raising was his own and then rip the child away from him while crushing him with the news of her not being his was inconceivable.

"Yes, well..." she trailed off with a sigh as she gazed off into the distance. "We were never very fond of her to start with, but what she put this family and her own child through was deplorable. Regardless if Kylie was Emmett's or not, she was a part of this family and we all miss her dearly. She was the light of Emmett's eyes from the day she was born and the way she ripped that poor child away from him nearly destroyed him. He would have given her anything to allow him to stay in that child's life."

I had no idea what, if anything, I could say or do to ease her despair. It was clear how much she still ached for the loss of a child they all held so near and dear to them. It didn't happen often to me, but I found myself at a complete loss for words and only able to squeeze her hand yet again as a gesture of comfort. She smiled gratefully at me and reached up with her other hand to once again run her hand over Vinnie's soft curls.

"I know nothing will ever completely take away his hurt, but Rosalie will do her best to make him as happy as she can, I'm sure of it," I offered, hoping to ease her worry over her son.

"I know she will," she said softly as she nodded. "Just as you and Alice will do for Edward and Jasper, and they will all do for the three of you as well. I hope the three of you know how very much you've become the daughters Carlisle and I have always wanted but were never able to have."

"We do, but thank you, Esme. It means so much to me that you both feel that way. I couldn't have asked for a better family to join than yours," I said with a watery smile.

"What are two of my favorite women in the world talking about that has you both all misty eyed," Edward's voice chuckled. I swiped at my eyes and looked into the direction his voice had come from and smiled as he took the last few steps to the cabana and set Maddie down beside Esme. She quickly climbed over my legs and settled herself in against my side.

"And just how many favorite women do you have, Edward?" Esme teased as she winked at me. He laughed and looked in the direction of the buffet pavilion before turning his head back in our direction.

"I might need to take a head count to give you that answer," he sniggered as Esme rolled her eyes. "So what's got the waterworks going?" he asked as he rounded the cabana and climbed in on the opposite side next to Maddie.

"I was just telling Bella how grateful we all are that she, Rosalie, and Alice came into our lives," Esme replied.

"Maddie...I think Nana Esme and Aunt Bella are a bunch of mushy softies...whatcha think?" he joked as both Esme and I scoffed and swatted at him.

"Bewwa? Unca Eddie said you tewl stowies. Wiwl you tewl me one?" Maddie asked, looking up at me with her wide hazel eyes.

"Hm...you know, my Grammie and I used to make up stories together. Wanna try?" I asked and she nodded exuberantly as Esme and Edward chuckled.

"Okay...let's see," I smiled down at her. "Once upon a time, in a land far, far away...there was a beautiful princess with curly brown hair and bright sparkling hazel eyes. Do you know what her name was?"

"Madison!" she squealed and Vinnie stirred. I chuckled and brought my finger to my lips. She slapped a hand over her mouth and whispered a quick "sowwy" as Edward ran his hand over the back of her head.

"That's right, honey. You're so smart," I snickered quietly. "So princess Madison lived in a _big_ white castle near the Snickerdoodle Mountains, just beyond the Gum Drop Forest."

"Awe da cwouds thewe made of cotton candy?" she asked softly.

"They sure are..._hey_...have you heard this story before?" I teased and she covered her mouth as she giggled and shook her head.

"I'm going to head back up to the family," Esme said as she chuckled and leaned forward. She cupped the side of my face and kissed my cheek and whispered, "You really will make a fantastic mother one day."

"Auntie Bewwa...da stowy," Maddie urged as she tapped my arm and Edward chuckled.

"Okay, okay...so one day princess Madison was walking through the Gum Drop Forest, on her way to visit her favorite cousin..." I trailed off and pointed to her.

"Pwincess Wenata," she said with a bright smile.

"And just as she was passing Sugarplum Falls where the water's as blue as the sky and water lilies grow along the edge in every color of the rainbow, she spotted the most beautiful creature she'd ever seen, drinking from the lake. Do you know what it was?" I asked and she shook her head as she bit her bottom lip.

"It was a _unicorn_," I said and she gasped and bounced excitedly. I grinned at her and glanced up at Edward to see him gazing at me adoringly with a soft smile. His arm reached out and his hand brushed the hair away from my temple as he mouthed a silent "I love you" to me. I mouthed it back to him as I leaned into his hand and relished in his touch.

We went back and forth creating our story for a little over an hour, and even Edward contributed when he described the magical powers of unicorns and how only very special people can get close enough to touch one without scaring it away. He went on to say that Princess Madison was so special that she was not only able to touch him, but he let her ride him too.

I couldn't even begin to describe what it stirred up within me while watching him jump into the story from time to time, enthusiastically adding pieces to it using different voices for characters. His witch had me in stitches every single time and I swore I was going to wake Vinnie with all of my shaking as I tried to suppress my laughter. Little man slept right through all of it though.

Somewhere weaved into our story was Renata's gingerbread castle, an evil witch that Maddie named Irina - much to Edward's and my amusement - who plotted to take over Candyland, two princes named Eddie and Vinnie, and a farting warthog - this was completely from Maddie - named Demitri that followed them everywhere and helped take down the evil witch...with his _gas_.

It was friggen hilarious. That little girl definitely had _way _more imagination than I ever did when I was making up stories with my grandmother. Well that...and I think she's seen _'Lion King'_ too many times.

Pumbaa cracks me up.

After Vinnie had awakened from his nap, the kids were rounded up down on the beach and split into three teams. I had no idea what was planned for them in the three staked off square areas until Diane laughed at my puzzled face and told me they'd be building sand castles, which became blatantly obvious when Carlisle and Marcus arrived shouldering huge bags of buckets, plastic moulds, shovels and the works.

I actually pouted a bit, much to Edward's amusement, when he informed me that we'd be participating in a three legged scavenger hunt with nearly everyone else while the kids had fun making giant castles in the sand. I remembered how much I loved building them as a kid and had always wanted to build one of the giant ones I'd seen on t.v. time and time again.

But alas, all pouting put aside, participating in the three legged event with Edward as my partner, turned out to be a hoot. A very _hot _hoot.

By the time we made it to the third "clue station"...deep in the woods...we had fallen _way _behind the others. I swore it was because of my inability to walk while attached to another person, but when he bypassed the clue completely and practically dragged me off into the brush...I realized it had been his plan all along to fall behind.

Because Edward was feeling a bit frisky.

Okay..._a lot _more than just a bit frisky.

We stumbled out of the brush, looking completely disheveled as if we'd taken a tumble down a mountainside, and grinning like a pair of imbeciles. At some point in our heated romp in the foliage, we'd broken the lei we'd found at the first station - each clue station sending you on a hunt for another piece to a luau costume,\; lei, skirt, coconut bra etc etc - so Edward very unceremoniously tied it around his head like a floral crown. I couldn't get him to budge on wearing the coconut bra, however, but he _did_ don the fluorescent pink grass skirt - the last one that was left to be found at clue station five.

It was safe to say that we'd been left completely in the dust by the time we made it to the end of the trail, after having to make a piece of jewelry from the materials nature provided - Edward made me a braided bracelet out of shredded palm leaves - and trying to figure out cryptic clues such as "_The sun makes me smile and open myself to the world. It's for this reason I twine myself among the giants and reach for the brightness of my friend. Find me where I thrive in great numbers and bring me to your friends so I may smile at them. Your next clue awaits with me_."

Yeah...it took us a solid ten minutes to figure out that whoever had come up with the clue, probably Esme, was talking about morning glories. Thankfully, Edward knew where to find the spot it was referencing to and we hurried our way there to the best of our uncoordinated ability.

And let me just tell you...the clue wasn't exaggerating.

There was this little area at the top of a hill, just off the path, where morning glory vines with vibrantly colored flowers climbed their way up giant trees, covering nearly every inch of their trunks while reaching for the sky. I'd never seen anything like it, and highly doubted I ever would again. It was there, nestled in the flowers, that we found our final clue.

"_Family is a wonderful and __**glorious**__ thing. The foundation of yours is much like our vines, providing us with strength, stability, and nourishment as we reach for the sky; and the beauty much like our flowers, each individual one unique and making our appearance as a single unit absolutely breathtaking. We celebrate our unity with water and nutrients from the soil...celebrate yours with what's best served on the rocks with a rim of salt._"

"Margaritas at the tiki bar," Edward chuckled as he read it.

"Thank God," I laughed, breathing a sigh of relief. "I was beginning to swear we'd be stumbling through the woods all night after our little detour."

"I'm actually surprised they haven't sent out a search party. They all had to have been done for at least a half hour or so by now," he sniggered as we made our way down the last hill and toward the beach.

"Edward," I sighed, giggling slightly. "Has it not come to your attention just _how many _times we've been walked in on in the last month? Chances are they knew where we were and what we were doing when Mr. Competitive Cullen himself fell to the back of the herd."

"You're not gonna be embarrassed are you?" he asked, appearing to be slightly worried which made me laugh heartily.

"Are you _serious_?" I spluttered as we trudged across the sand. "Emmett practically almost caught us nude when he barged in the bedroom at the villa, Rose walked in on us mid-romp at the hotel, Carlisle and Esme spotted us wearing next to nothing in the kitchen, Felix almost pulled the sheet off your nakedness, and Demitri got the wake up call of a lifetime when he stumbled in on us mid-orgasm. Is there _really _anything left to be embarrassed about anymore?"

"You left out us coming face to face with Kelly when we walked out of the supply closet," he chortled as I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, well...out of all of that, the Carlisle and Esme encounter takes the cake. I didn't even have your shirt buttoned and I seriously thought you were going to lose your sheet," I snickered.

"I almost did!" he guffawed. "Two more seconds and I don't think I'd ever be able to look at either of them again without cringing and turning a horrifying shade of purple."

"Aww, that's almost too bad because you're adorable when you blush," I teased. "Your neck and ears get all red but your cheeks only flush a faint pink."

We continued our way down the beach, heading for the tiki bar, and laughed and stumbled as we teased each other relentlessly. One of the things I loved most about our relationship was how playful we were able to be together. I'd never had that in a relationship before, the ability to joke and tease without the other person taking it the wrong way.

Jacob and I had been able to banter and laugh at ourselves and each other when we'd been friends, but once we officially became a couple, it was like that part of our relationship disappeared completely. Any time I ever made a teasing comment about anything, he took it as though I was personally attacking him. It was utterly ridiculous and had me walking on eggshells around him for nearly the first entire year of our relationship.

Looking back, it was surprising that we'd even made it through the first year alone, much less the subsequent three years following. All the realizations of my past relationship that I'd had since I'd met Edward really made me wonder what in the hell it was that I had been fighting to keep a hold of for so long. It definitely wasn't love...that much I was _positive_ of at this point.

The truth of the matter was, I wouldn't have known love if it had slapped me in the face before I'd met Edward. I knew of the love between friends, courtesy of Ali and Rose, and I knew of the love between parents and child and even grandparents and grandchildren, amazingly enough with how estranged and dysfunctional my family was. But until Edward, I'd known _nothing _of romantic love.

Not. One. Thing.

Edward made me feel things in ways that I never thought possible. Every day he made me feel like the most beautiful and cherished woman in the world. All it took was one smoldering look and I felt like I could melt on the spot from the amount of love that surged through me for him. He made me feel protected and secure, as though nothing anyone could ever do or say could hurt me because he'd always be there to wrap me in his arms and offer me the kind of comfort I'd never before known. He made me feel complete and _alive_...and dare I say it...perfect.

I no longer saw the plain Jane, or the poster child for teenage social awkwardness in the mirror that I'd seen staring back at me in the mirror my entire life. No, I didn't see her anymore. What I did see were the eyes that he loved gazing into, the hair he loves running his hands through, the skin he loves to caress, and the lips he loves to kiss. When all put together, I saw the woman he loves. I saw myself...and the confidence it gave me made me love him even more with each passing day because it was all because of him that I was finally able to see myself as a beautiful and desirable woman.

"I _told _you those two were gettin' busy in the woods!" Rosalie guffawed as she spotted us. "Pay up suckers!"

"Rosalie...just because they're both grinning like idiots doesn't mean that they were giving the surrounding wildlife a show...or a scare," Jasper laughed as I snickered and hid my face in Edward's arm as we took our final approaching steps toward them.

"No...but the fact that Bella has her shirt on both inside out _and backwards _does," she tittered and I gasped as I looked down at my tank top and noticed the ironed on tag.

"_Damn_," I muttered as Edward chuckled and bent down to untie our legs. I pulled the tank top off and flipped it right side out before tossing it back on and rolling my eyes at them.

"Hardy, har, har...laugh it right on up," I tried to laugh sarcastically, but failed because the fact that neither of us had realized my shirt was on wrong was terribly amusing. "How much did you win?"

"Fifty bucks a pop," she grinned victoriously. "Probably just enough to buy Alice that damn pair of shoes from the bet we made the first day here."

"I forgot about that!" Alice giggled after gasping.

"Crap...I shoulda kept my mouth shut then," Rose snickered.

Edward grabbed our margaritas from the bar and we sat around with everyone laughing over everyone's stories of things that had happened on their scavenger hunts. The funniest story definitely had to be Dominic freaking out and screaming like a girl when something rustled in the foliage as they were walking by, only for the critter to bolt out and run across the path and for them to realize it was...a chipmunk. Demitri, Emmett, and Jasper were having a ball ragging on him over it, especially since his freak out caused him to try and run and he and Gianna tumbled to the forest floor in a heap of tangled limbs, and Alvin - or Theodore as Emmett claimed because the chipmunk was fat - darted out just a foot in front of their horrified faces.

The second runner up was Jane and Toby getting turned around and lost in the woods for a bit when they were looking for the morning glory spot. They only realized they were walking in the wrong direction when they came full circle back to the clue that told them to go there in the first place.

A few hours, and too many margaritas after dinner later, a bunch of us found ourselves slightly buzzing and painting ceramics at the table the kids had all just vacated to go watch a movie before bed. Emmett spotted Diane cleaning up the paints and I swear the man turned into a little kid right before our very eyes, jumping off his stool at the bar and excitedly bouncing his way up into the buffet pavilion crowing something about arts and crafts time. I wished I had a video camera on hand to capture the moment for all time.

"Ali," I snickered, looking at my giant mess of paint on my sun and moon ceramic piece. "I should have had you paint this thing for me. This looks like _shat_."

"Hell Bells...mine doesn't look much better," she laughed from her spot across from me as she held her vase out toward me. "I tried painting flowers but they just look like _blobs_."

"Whose idea was this again?" Rosalie snorted as she made some wispy swirl designs on what looked like an oval plaque. The center of which had perfect lettering that said "Home Sweet Home."

"_Eddie_!" a voice that could make me cringe mid-guffaw echoed from a distance.

"I'm having a nightmare, aren't I? Tell me I didn't just hear what I think I heard," Edward mumbled as he looked up from where he'd been concentrating on his heart shaped picture frame - that he was covering with hearts and little E+B's - paintbrush poised midair.

"Everyone's here, Edward. I don't think she'll make a scene...not after Heidi ripped into her," Kate snorted, waving it off.

I tried to relax, but it was entirely impossible as her voice ripped through the air yet again.

"_Eddie_! _Where's __**my **__Eddiekins?_"

"Is she...oh my God!" Julie gasped as Tanya turned the corner, bobbing as she walked because she was missing a shoe. "Edward, is she _drunk_?"

"No...she's _trashed_," he growled as he pushed away from the table and started stalking toward her.

"_Tanya_! What the hell are you doing?" he barked and she spun and grinned drunkenly at him.

"Listen...we need to have a lil chitty chat," she said with a slight slur as she flicked her hair over her shoulder.

"Like hell we do, go sleep it off before you make an even bigger fool of yourself," he warned as he pointed in the direction of her villa.

"Sure...show me the way to your bed, and after a little fun with you, I'll gladly _sleep_," she purred, reaching her hand out to touch his chest, only to have it smacked away by him as he took a step back.

My hands slammed down on the table as I stood, hells bent on knocking that bitch out for trying to put her nasty hands on him, but Rose grabbed my arm before I could step away.

"Let him handle it, Bella. You stepping in will only rile her up even more," she whispered as she pulled me back down into my seat quickly.

"What part of me telling you I want _nothing _to do with you did you not understand this morning?" he ground out through clenched teeth as he swatted her hand away again and took another step away from her. "_Don't _fucking touch me."

"Drop the act already Eddie baby. I know the only reason you said those things to me is because of that...that _thing_," she trailed off, looking over his shoulder flailing her arm in my direction. "She knows you still want me and she's trying to come between us."

She reached out to touch him once again but he backstepped, leaving her teetering off balance on her single high heel shoe. She fell forward onto her bare foot, but unfortunately was able to catch herself before falling flat on her face.

"Weebles wobble but they don't fall down," Emmett snickered. I couldn't even find it in me to laugh with some of the others as we watched on in a mix of amusement and abject horror.

"There is no _us_! Get that shit through your head already!" Edward shouted exasperatedly as he threw his arms in the air.

"Don't be like this baby," she pouted as she stepped forward and he took a step to the side. "I remember how much you enjoy it when I touch you."

"Cut it the fuck out...I'm in no mood for this bullshit tonight," he warned her as he swatted her hand away.

"Aw Eddiekins, why are you fighting our attraction to one another so hard? She isn't worth it. We both know there's _no way _you're actually interested in that mousy little..._thing_. Sure, she's probably fun to play with, but it takes a hell of a lot more woman than she is to keep you _satisfied_," she simpered, attempting to flirtatiously wink at him.

In her inebriated state, it took all of her facial muscles to force it closed and open again, leaving her looking like she'd just sucked on a big fat piece of grapefruit...either that or someone had popped a sour warhead candy in her mouth. She once again stepped forward and he stepped back, swatting her hand away for the bazillionth time.

Jesus, it was like they were dancing a demented rendition of a foxtrot or something...step back and swat, step to the side and swat, pivot...step back and _swat_.

"Rose...let me go. This is getting out of hand," I said as I tried to tug my arm away from her, only to have Emmett get up from his seat and stand behind me with his hands on my shoulders, keeping me in place.

"What the fuck is _wrong _with you? Are you mental or something?" he seethed, stepping to the side and swatting her damn advancing hand _yet again_. "Bella's not a _toy_ to me! She's my _fiance_."

"_Fiance_," she forced out, falling into a short coughing fit, most likely having choked on the gum she'd been smacking up until that point. She attempted to cover it up with a sardonic laugh. "You actually expect me to believe you two are really engaged? After all of four weeks? _Please_, Edward. We were together for two years and we never got engaged. I highly doubt you really proposed to her within a _month_."

"You're damn right we were never engaged! What reason did I ever have to propose to you?" he spat viciously. I could see the tension rolling off of him and it was killing me to watch.

"Emmett...goddamn it, _let me go_," I fumed, roughly ripping myself away from him and Rosalie.

"Oh great...here comes the _wonder-bitch_," Tanya sneered as she rolled her eyes the moment she spotted me heading for them at the same time I spotted Esme and Carlisle hastily making their way towards them.

"Don't you fucking _dare_ speak of her that way!" Edward yelled, pointing in her face. "You have no right to say a goddamn word _to_ or _about_ her!"

"I have _every _right to say what I want about her! If _she_ wasn't here you wouldn't be _pretending_ that you don't love me!" she screamed, running her hand angrily through her hair.

Her perfectly manicured nails must have gotten caught in a rat's nest of tangles in the process because she ended up having to roughly tug several times before she was able to work her hand loose.

"Love you?! You're nothing but a vile, manipulative, deceitful bitch!" he exploded as he pulled me behind him effortlessly. "I could _never _love someone like you!"

"_She's _putting that shit in your head! I never did a damn thing to you!" she screeched as I tugged on his shirt and pleaded with him to back off because fighting with her was pointless.

"_Holy shit_! You're delirious! I walked in on you _fucking another man_! In _our _bed! Did you forget about that shit?!" he roared, ignoring my pleas entirely as he started ripping at his hair.

"What's going on over here?" Esme questioned sternly as they closed in on us.

"Stay out of this, Ma, please," Edward warned as he held out a hand in her direction, but didn't turn his head to look at her.

"Like hell I will. The _entire island_ can hear the two of you..."

"_Mom_?" Tanya chuckled whirling around on her one shoe and looking at Esme as though she were insane. She wobbled a bit before landing on her bare foot once again. "Lady...his mother's _dead_."

I gasped, unable to believe she actually _said _something like that to her, and before the words had even settled in my ears, I heard the resounding _thwack_ of Esme's hand slapping the shit out of Tanya's cheek, the force of it knocking her drunken behind right over into the shrubbery beside her. There was a tense moment of shocked silence as Esme stood, quaking with anger as she glared at Tanya, only to be broken by the sound of chairs scraping against the floor from behind us.

"You little _bitch_. How _dare_ you laugh over my sister's death," she seethed, tears springing into her eyes. "He may not be my child by birth, but _god damn it_ he's been my son by _legal right_ for the last fourteen years."

"Enough is enough," Carlsile snapped, pulling Esme back from over Tanya, allowing her room to get back up on her feet. "You're no longer welcome here. I don't give a _damn_ where you go, but I want you off this island immediately. I refuse to allow _any_ members of my family..."

"_She_ isn't family," Tanya hissed, cutting Carlisle off as she pointed and scowled at me tucked under Edward's arm and into his side.

"Yes...she is."

For a moment, I swore I was hallucinating because the voice that those words came from was nothing like what I had been become accustomed to hearing over the past few days. Although still slightly nasally, it was calm and lacking it's usual degree of disdain. My head snapped to the side just in time to see Esme and Carlisle turn, creating a space between them and leaving me a clear view of none other than...Irina.

She momentarily smiled sheepishly at our befuddled gazes, but squared her shoulders and focused an icy glare on Tanya who was readjusting her cleavage back into the skimpy top she'd nearly fallen out of.

"Since when did you jump on the _Bertha_ fan bandwagon?" Tanya scoffed, giving her bra strap one final tug before turning her attention towards Irina.

"Oh I don't know..." she trailed off in mock ignorance. "Maybe when I overheard you telling some bitch in the bathroom at the club that the only reason you became my friend in the first place was so you'd have a way to find my cousin and get back together with him. Her name's _Bella_ by the way, _Tipper_."

"Is she _serious_?" Edward thundered. "How demented _are you_?"

"How else was I supposed to find out where you went? You packed a bag when I wasn't there and disappeared, Edward," she huffed indignantly, blowing her frizzy bangs out of her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I didn't _want_ you to know where I went!" he yelled, tightening his hold on me to an almost painful degree as Carlisle stepped between the three of us.

"Edward, please...she isn't worth getting this upset over," I pleaded with him as Emmett yelled at him and tried to pry me out from his grasp while both Carlisle and Esme tried calming him down.

"You don't fucking get it do you?" he spat as he took a step toward her and his arms started flailing, giving Emmett his opportunity to quickly pull me away. "I _never _wanted to see you again! You showing up here two days ago was my worst nightmare come to life!"

"You okay baby girl?" Em asked worriedly as he looked me over quickly. I just nodded and he all but handed me over to Jasper who pulled me into his side and started rubbing my arm as Emmett started pulling Edward back from Tanya.

"Emmett, get him out of here...he needs to cool off," Carlisle instructed firmly.

"I'm _fine_," Edward huffed as he yanked his arm away from Emmett and rubbed his face roughly with both hands as he heaved out an aggravated sigh.

He stared toward the sky for a moment, mumbling incoherently to himself before sighing once more and tilting his head to look in my direction. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse and mirrored the exhaustion I could see on his face. "Bella, love...come here."

Jasper gave my shoulder a squeeze while shooting Edward a warning look, to which he nodded and waved his hand in a circle, before Jasper let me go. I walked forward until I reached his outstretched hand and took it in my own. He pulled me in front of him and turned us so we were facing Tanya as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind. It was then that I noticed she was standing back with her arms crossed over her chest, her lips mashed together and tears brimming in her eyes.

"I feel sorry for you, Tanya, I really do," he said calmly from behind me as he hugged me tighter. "I feel sorry for you because you've spent so many years thinking of me when I haven't thought of you, and after this moment, I'll never think of you again. I've found what I need to be happy in life, and with as many reasons as I have not to, I hope one day you find someone that makes you happy too...but that person isn't me, and it never will be."

I don't know why, but I actually felt bad for her as I watched her shoulders haunch inward and she quickly swiped away at the tears that had fallen even though she'd tried to fight them back. Maybe it was because I knew what it was like to want someone back when they made it blaringly obvious they didn't want the same, or maybe it was because it had to be an incredibly lonely existence when she acted so abrasively towards people that no one would ever want to get very close to her. It could have even been that somewhere underneath all of her self-centeredness she really did care for him, possibly even loved him, and she was just now realizing that she'd never have him. Whatever it was, it _did_ make me feel bad for the way I'd treated her, regardless if she'd deserved it or not.

"I just want to say I'm sorry for how I've acted toward you," I said sincerely. "It doesn't matter what you've said or done to any of us, it doesn't justify the way we treated you in return."

"You _should_ be sorry...if you had never come along I would have at least had a chance," she spat at me, causing Edward to groan in agitation.

_Well slap me upside the head and call me stupid...actually thought she may have had a heart capable of breaking..._

"I can't take another minute of this," Edward grumbled. "Tanya, go pack your bags and have a nice life. If I never see you again, it'll be too soon."

"Come on, love," he said as he ran his hand down my arm and twined his fingers with mine and pressed a kiss to my temple. "I wanna finish painting our photo frame."

We hadn't taken more than three friggen steps before she spouted off again, completely incapable of shutting her trap. "Soak it up while it lasts _little girl_...he'll lose interest in you the same way he did with me years ago."

"_For_ _fuck's sake_! Irina, you brought her, will you _please _get her the hell out of here?!" Edward snapped, spinning us around so abruptly it made me dizzy.

"Chill, man...go sit down and finish painting your fruity hearts," Demitri chuckled as he clapped him on the shoulder as he passed. "Grab your heifer and let's go, sis...before there's bloodshed on sacred grubbage ground."

"Who the hell are you calling a heifer you neanderthal!" Tanya griped as Irina led her bobbing, one shoed ass away with Carlisle and Esme trailing behind the three of them.

"Un-freaking-believable," Alice muttered as she plopped down in her chair. We all turned to look at her as she shook her head and waved a finger in Tanya's direction. "That bitch is _crazy_!"

Our gazes flickered between each other for all of ten seconds before we all burst out laughing at Alice's stupefied expression and exclamation.

_Understatement of the friggen **millennium**!_

_

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**A/N: So there we have it...the final showdown with Tanya. Ding dong the witch is dead...and all that jazz. Review away my lovelies for a sneak peek at the next chapter! Clicky the button...come on...you know you want to lol. See you all next week...hopefully hahahaha. ~Jersey~**


	33. To be or Not to be A Cullen

**A/N: Okay...the question of the week seems to be, "How many chapters are left?" The answer is 5. There are 5 chapters left before the epilogue of the story. I know many of you will be sad to see this story come to an end...but on a good note, I'm going to do something that I've never done for any other story. One-shots. That's right people...outtakes, additional scenes, you name it, I'll try to do it because I don't really want to part with these characters yet either. So start thinking up some things you'd like to read about...it could be earlier chapters that you'd like to see in EPOV, missing moments from the other four characters aside from E/B...whatever. Get those wheels a turnin' and start dropping ideas in reviews. When this story ends, I'll compile all the ideas and let all of you vote on which 5 you'd like to read. Sound good? Yeah...sounds good to me too LOL. Happy Holidays folks!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, SMeyer does. We all know this. I'm just happy she let's me play with her creations ^_^

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To be or Not to be...a Cullen

EPOV

Two days. Two blissful, glorious days we'd had without Tanya's sneering and malicious presence.

It had been absolute heaven.

When I went fishing with the guys on Wednesday, I didn't have to spend the entire time worrying over whether or not she'd instigate something again with Bella. Knowing my girl was in good hands and being pampered at the resort's spa, I was able to relax and enjoy the trip, and even catch us a damn nice sized tuna. It took two of us to pull that sucker in as it fought against us with everything it had.

It made us some pretty damn good dinner that night too.

While I'd had a blast when Emmett, Jasper, and I had brought the girls out for a day of fishing, being with the guys was a completely different experience. Fishing was something we'd always enjoyed, especially sport fishing. Jasper, Emmett and I always tried to make a trip out of it every year, but it had been a few years since we'd managed it.

This year, however, it wasn't just the three of us. Demitri, Dominic, Felix and Alec tagged along with us, and Carlisle's yacht - which stayed parallel with Emmett's throughout the day - carried Carlisle, Marcus, Richie, Lorenzo, Eleazar, Alistair and Peter.

It was the old versus the young out there in the open water.

When Carlisle finally managed to hook something, Emmett hung over the rail of 'Empty Pockets' and razzed the hell out of him, yelling things like "_Whatcha got on that line there? A goldfish?_" and "_Don't give yourself a hernia_! _Them fancy tailed ones can put up a nasty fight!_"

Yeah...Emmett shut his mouth real quick when possibly the biggest blue marlin we'd ever seen broke through the water and hurled itself at least ten feet in the air. It took three of them to reel it in and all of them to unhook it. I swear the thing had to be at least fourteen feet long and probably weighed in close to eight or nine hundred pounds, if not more. It was _huge_.

Made my tuna look like a clown fish.

At one point during the trip, I had started dozing off in a folding chair - having had one too many beers throughout the day and barely any sleep the night before - and I was jostled awake by Alec trying to _purr_ "Eddie" in my ear. My eyes shot open and I started laughing hysterically at him. Jackass was wearing a mop like a wig and adjusting his pretend cleavage, that was actually behind a woman's bikini top, while batting his eyelashes coyly at me. I didn't even want to know where he got the bikini from.

By the time he was done with his impersonation of Tanya, we were both on the floor and the folding chair I'd been sitting in was broken from the struggle when he'd tried to sit in my lap.

It's all fun and games until another dude tries to climb on top of you.

As we'd started to make our overly long haul back to the island in the early afternoon, I collapsed in my lower bunk and passed out nearly instantly. When I'd awoken almost three hours later, I'd smacked myself in the face with Jasper's foot that was hanging over the side of his upper bunk. Stumbling my way out into the cabin, I spotted Alec and Felix passed out on the couch and Dominic in the recliner. It looked like the aftermath of a frat house kegger the morning after...minus all the mess.

I spent the remaining twenty minutes of the trip up in the tower with Emmett and Demitri, listening to them plan out the remainder of the week. Demitri was dying to hit up the zip lines so we decided to do that the following day.

When we finally made it back to the house, I found Esme and Bella together in Esme's painting room and she looked like she'd been attacked by a five year old with a paint brush. She'd been trying her hand at painting a landscape and when she spotted me, she scrunched up her face and told me she didn't think she should quit her day job. As I studied her canvas, I laughed and agreed with her, earning myself a swat from Esme before she shooed me out of the room, telling me to take a shower because I apparently "_reeked_".

That night I had another dream of my parents.

There was another kaleidoscope of images, some that were familiar and others that obviously hadn't taken place yet, but again it ended on that same Christmas card with Bella and I and our children. When I shot up in bed, once again, I still had the feeling of their arms around me, their familiar scents in my senses, and their whispered words on the edge of my consciousness. What stuck out the most in my mind when I'd awoken, however, was that the card didn't say Cullens...it said _Masens_.

No matter how hard I'd tried, I couldn't fall back asleep afterwards. The damn name on the card was driving me insane because it felt like they were trying to tell me something significant. Frustrated and exhausted, I'd slipped out of the bed quietly and padded my way down to the kitchen to get something to drink.

When I'd gotten down there, I'd nearly jumped out of my skin when Carlisle - who I hadn't seen sitting in a recliner facing the massive windows - suddenly spoke.

"Trouble sleeping?"

It had taken me a full minute to pull myself together after having almost screamed bloody murder and fearing my heart wouldn't restart.

"Something like that...since when did you take up lurking in the shadows? You scared the hell out of me," I'd grumbled as I made my way into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge before joining him in the living room.

"Didn't mean to startle you. Couldn't sleep myself either. Every muscle in my body is on fire," he'd chuckled, raising his glass of scotch on the rocks to his lips with a wince. "I'm going to venture a guess that I'm a bit too old and out of shape for sports fishing anymore."

That had gotten a hearty laugh out of me.

"I'm pretty sure any one of us would be in pain after reeling that monster in. I wouldn't take it so personally, old man," I'd sniggered while clapping him on the shoulder.

"So what's eating you, son?" he'd asked, smiling but concern visible in his eyes. "You normally sleep like the dead. It's been a while since you've taken to wandering around in the middle of the night."

"Strange dreams," I'd sighed as I ran my hand through my hair.

"The nightmares aren't returning, are they?" he'd asked, his smile fading into a frown.

"No...no," I'd waved him off reassuringly. "They're just...strange."

"What are they about?" he'd asked curiously.

"My parents...they're there in the dream, but they don't say anything until the very end. They just hug me and then I start seeing snippets of photos in some kind of chronological order. Some of them are things that have happened since they passed, some seem like things yet to come...but it's ended with the same one both times. It's one of those family photo Christmas card greeting things and it has Bella and I and our kids in it...but underneath it says Merry Christmas from the _Masens_...not Cullens. I just...I can't figure out _why_. Then they whisper and tell me they'll always be with me and I shoot up in bed like someone dumped cold water on me."

I didn't know why, but I'd felt like an asshole for even mentioning it to him. I hadn't wanted him thinking I didn't want to carry his name...I just...couldn't explain why it wasn't on the damn card.

"Maybe it's your subconscious trying to tell you something, son," he'd started and held up a hand when I started to rebuke even the idea of it.

I liked being a Cullen. I was proud to be one. They'd treated me like their own and I had no reason, consciously or subconsciously, to not want my future family to bear their name. _Our_ name.

"Just hear me out. We love you, Edward. We love you as our own and that will _never _change. Carrying on a family name into future generations is one of the greatest privileges a man can be rewarded with in his life. Neither Esme, nor I or even Emmett would fault you for wishing for your name to extend beyond just yourself. Whether you are aware of this or not, you _are_ the last remaining descendent from your ancestral lineage," he'd said and I'd frowned in response.

"But I'm legally a Cullen, and I'm proud to be one," I'd argued and he'd smiled as he gripped my shoulder.

"That you are, and you always will be one regardless of a piece of paper, but you're also a _Masen_. The only question here, son, is which name you wish for your children to carry with pride in the future. Keep in mind that no matter which you choose, they too, will always be both."

"God this is so confusing," I'd grumbled. It had felt like no matter which way I turned, I was losing some part of myself. And I hated it.

If I returned to my given birth name, I felt like I was detaching myself from the family I'd grown to love as my own. Yet, I felt like if I didn't, I was losing my ancestry...my roots.

"Edward, take a good look at our family. Not just the small number of us bound by blood, but _all _of us. I mean really _look _at us. What does every kid that's here call Esme?" he'd asked and I had snorted.

"Nana Esme or Grammie Esme," I'd answered and he nodded.

"Does it matter that she's of no _real _relation to any of them?" he'd asked and I'd shaken my head.

"Do you know _why_ it doesn't matter?" he'd asked and I - because I'm apparently as dense as concrete when I'm exhausted - had shaken my head again.

"Because regardless of a lack of genetic bonds or legal papers, we are _family_. I may be a Cullen by birth, but I'm also a Mezcalito, a Volturi, a Whitlock, a Serrano, and a _Masen_...and any other surname that's attached to this family...just as they are all Cullens. We don't need a piece of paper to tell us that, and neither do _you_," he'd stressed with a gentle squeeze to my shoulder.

"Man...that'd be one hell of a long hyphenated name," I'd chuckled, needing to lighten the atmosphere before I had started tearing up.

Yeah...I can be a wuss...so what of it?

He had laughed and shook his head at me as he clapped my shoulder and lowered his arm.

"Just think it over, son. You come from a very long line of noble and extraordinary people. Any future generations of yours would be proud to bear the Masen name," he'd said as he stood slowly from his chair.

"You and Ma really wouldn't be offended if I chose my given name?" I'd asked warily.

"Why would we be? I already told you, we're Masens as well. A piece of paper doesn't define who you are, Edward," he'd paused as he contemplated his next words. "Think of it this way...when you and Bella marry, if you were to take her name instead of she taking yours, would that in any way make you any less of a son to us, or an uncle, nephew, or cousin to any member of this family?"

"No," I'd answered automatically.

"Neither would assuming your birth given surname. It wouldn't change your position in this family in the slightest, the _only _thing it would do is ensure that your surname continues on, and there is _nothing _wrong with desiring that," he'd responded and then raised his glass to finish off his scotch.

"Think it over, but don't stress yourself out over it. It isn't a decision that needs to be made overnight or even within any definitive timeframe," he'd said, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder as he paused next to me. "Try to get some sleep, son."

I had nodded and turned my attention out the window to ponder what we'd talked about for a bit. When he flicked the light off in the kitchen and I had seen his silhouette reflected in the glass, I spun the recliner I'd been sitting in around toward him.

"Hey Pop?" I had called out and he turned. "Thanks...for everything."

"Anytime, son. I'm always here if you need to talk. Goodnight, Edward," he'd smiled as he nodded.

"Night," I'd replied in return before turning back toward the window.

That conversation had taken place two nights ago, and no matter how much I thought through it...I was still no closer to knowing what to do. I'd even spoken with Bella about it the morning after, and strangely enough...she had told me almost the same exact things as Carlisle had about every person belonging just as much to one surname as every other one. It almost made me wonder if she'd spoken with Carlisle, but when I looked at her strangely, she just laughed and told me how she'd had this "epiphany", her word not mine, during the relay race when she was looking around at the family as a whole.

Until my dying day I will swear that she is not only the smartest, but the most mysterious woman I've ever met. She'd managed to grasp the dynamics of my family in a way that even I, as a friggen bred, born, and raised part of that family, had a hard time grasping in its entirety. Surreal.

In the end though, she told me it didn't matter which name I chose because she, and everyone else as well, would love me just the same regardless of my decision. Again...the same exact thing Carlisle had said.

It kind of made me wonder if I was marrying my adoptive father in female form. Scary thought...and one I vowed to _never_ think of again the second it popped in my head.

Especially after I almost puked.

By the time we'd made it to the resort for breakfast on Thursday, I'd resolved to push the entire matter out of my head and just enjoy the day with Bella and our family. I didn't want it dragging me, and in turn Bella, down unnecessarily. I could ponder that crap in my personal time. Like Carlisle had said, it wasn't something I needed to decide upon immediately.

Instead of dwelling on the early onset case of mid-life identity crisis I was having, I threw myself headlong into having fun. And fun I most definitely had.

After breakfast on Thursday, the entire family took part in a game of touch football. It was complete and utter mayhem on the beach. Kids were running around in circles, unsure of which direction to run in, and at one point, Angelo had run smack dab into one of the goal posts because he was too busy looking behind him to watch where he was going. Poor kid bounced right off of it and face planted in the sand. Good thing those posts were padded.

Natalie had caught the ball once, and screamed in terror as she dropped it and ran in the opposite direction when she saw Felix barreling toward her. Emmett and Jasper were quick to yell "_Fumble-rooskie_!" as nearly ten people piled on top of one another over the ball. Like I said...it was complete mayhem.

But damn was it ever fun!

The rest of the day was spent with a large number of us hitting up the zip lines. We'd _just_ _barely_ had enough harnesses and pulleys for everyone since we hadn't ever been accustomed to having such a large group for that particular excursion. I made a mental note to purchase more just to be sure there'd be enough for future family gatherings, knowing our family was only going to grow even larger over years to come.

On one of the runs down the highest line, I hooked myself up to the cable backwards and Bella and I rode down together with her wrapped tightly around me. I couldn't even begin to describe what it did to me to watch her facial expressions as she spread her arms wide and leaned back as if she were flying.

So weightless and carefree...as if she were completely at peace with the entire world. It's how I wished she could always be.

"What are you thinking about?" Bella whispered as she nudged me with her elbow.

I turned my gaze, from where I'd been absentmindedly watching Kate and Garrett soaring six hundred feet above the water under a parasail, to her and smiled.

"You...and the past few days we've had," I answered honestly. She smiled and bit her lip as she leaned further into my side.

"It's been a great few days hasn't it?" she asked and I nodded as I kissed her temple and tightened my arm around her shoulders briefly.

"Looks like they're getting ready to reel them back in. Wanna go next?" I asked her. She tensed instantly as her eyes widened significantly, causing me to chuckle.

"I...You...Edward, you know I don't do well with heights," she stuttered and then sighed as she closed her eyes.

"Please," I scoffed. "You overcame your fright of the height of the jump at the swimming hole rather quickly."

"That's _not_ the same thing. That jump is like twenty feet...not _six_ _hundred_," she retorted instantly.

"Come on," I cooed teasingly. "You know you want to."

"No. I really don't," she said as she shook her head.

"Yeah ya do," I sniggered, shaking her frame against me.

"No," she drawled out the word. "I don't."

"Yeeeah ya do," I laughed.

"_Edward_," she grumbled as her lips pursed in false irritation and her eyes narrowed at me.

"Bellllaaa," I sang with a goofy smile.

I knew she wasn't mad at me...not even close. Her twitching lips and quivering chin gave her away instantly as she tried to narrow her eyes even further. She broke the moment I ducked my head and pouted as I widened my eyes innocently and batted my lashes at her.

"You're such a _shit_," she chortled as she swatted me in the arm and I grinned. "I swear if I plummet to my death I'm haunting your ass from here to eternity."

"Love...since we'll be harnessed together, I do believe if you plummet to your death, I'll be right along side of you in the afterlife. I'm not sure a ghost can actually haunt another ghost," I laughed as she smiled sardonically and rolled her eyes at me.

"Looks like Emmett and Rose will be going up at the same time as us because they're reeling Demitri and Irina back in now," I commented as I pointed over at the second boat out on the water with us.

"Hell...I still can't believe she's even out here with us! She's been so...nice? Interactive? _Different_ these past few days," Bella blurted and then began snickering. "It's like she's a pod person or some shit!"

"I'm still going with my someone slipped a permanent mind altering drug into her drink at the club theory myself," Jasper guffawed from behind the wheel of the boat. "It's almost like she's returned to her prepubescent former self."

"Whatever it was that caused the one eighty...I'll take the current stoned pod person over the old Irina any day of the week," Gianna chuckled.

"_No shit_," I laughed. "She hasn't bitched _once_ since her whole standoff with the inebriated antichrist."

To say that Irina had changed overnight would have been putting it _severely _lightly. The woman that returned to the island after unceremoniously depositing Tanya's ass on the curbside of a dingy motel...was _not_ the woman that we'd known for the last decade. She smiled and laughed often now...even managed to stun us silent from time to time when she'd crack a joke.

I wasn't even aware she'd had a shred of humor anywhere within her, but damn, when she tried...she was a real pisser!

When we'd been zip lining, and Emmett had gone down one of the lines upside down while beating his chest and making some wild Tarzan sound, she laughed and shook her head as she pointed at Jane and said "_That Jane...but __**that**_," she paused as she pointed at Emmett, "_One crazy vanilla gorilla_."

I'd nearly tripped over a tree stump, having been caught so off guard by the sight of her cracking a joke. Turns out the woman actually has a personality other than griping nag after all. Who woulda thought?

"You ready?" I asked Bella as Jasper got ready to start letting the wench out.

"Hell no," she whimpered, crushing my intertwined fingers in a death grip. For someone so tiny...she sure as hell had a lot of strength when she was frightened.

Okay...she was terrified. I won't lie.

I knew it'd pass though...I hoped.

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod...nonono...Jasper! Pull me back in now!" she panicked the second her feet left the platform.

"Baby sshhh," I chuckled as I flexed my fingers. I swore they were gonna fall off at any second. "Relax...we'll be fine."

"No can do, Bells," Jasper laughed as he called back to us. "I promised the idiot next to you that if he managed to get ya in the harness I wouldn't pull ya back in."

"I'm gonna kill you...I'm gonna be an unwed widow for all of thirty seconds before I croak," she spluttered and I busted out laughing hysterically. "I won't even need to fall to achieve death...I'm gonna have a fucking heart attack before this harness even has a chance to break!"

I couldn't help it. Her frantic words in combination with the facial expression of a stunned deer caught in the headlights of a damn convoy of semi trucks - forget the car - was _hilarious_. It was surprising that her eyes were still in their sockets because I swear her eyelids disappeared completely. I didn't know a person's eyes could actually open that wide.

"Love...this is fun. Just calm down and take in the scenery," I grinned encouragingly, earning myself a heated glare before her eyes slammed shut and her lips started mouthing a chant I couldn't hear. I chuckled under my breath and shook my head as I tried to rub soothing circles on her hand with my numb thumb.

When we were finally at maximum cruising height, I tried to persuade her to open her eyes but she just shook her head vigorously at me and gripped my hand even tighter. My face contorted into a silent scream as I writhed in pain, kicking my legs out in the air as I silently pled for her to either relax her grip or just let my damn hand fall off already.

Christ almighty my hand was going to be permanently damaged!

"Woooo! Baby girl! You havin' fun yet?!" Emmett's voice cut through the sound of the wind in our ears. I knew damn well straight that man was yelling at the top of his lungs for us to even be able to hear him.

"SHE WON'T EVEN OPEN HER EYES!" I belted back, feeling Bella startle at the sudden volume of my voice.

"Bella...please just open your eyes. Five seconds...just for five short seconds," I pleaded with her as I tried to flex my fingers again...quite unsuccessfully I might add. Her grip had lessened some, but not very much.

"Edward...I swear on everything that is holy in this world that if I _ever_ ask anything of you, you better remember this _exact_ moment and pay this shit forward!" she yelled at me and I laughed.

"Love...I'd never be able to deny you anything anyway, but if it gets you to open your eyes...and perhaps return a little blood flow to my hand..." I trailed off chuckling, trying once again to flex my fingers. "I'll gladly be eternally at your beck and call."

Her brow furrowed as she ever so slightly peeked one eye open at me and loosened her grip a bit on my hand and grimaced. "Sorry."

"It's okay," I laughed, leaning toward her and kissing her cheek. "Now open those beautiful eyes of yours. I _swear_ you won't regret it."

"Ooooh, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you," she chanted and then took a deep breath to steady herself while I tried to hold in my laughter as she barely peeked one eye open at me. "I didn't mean that....I love you, really I do."

"I know that, baby," I chuckled because of how ridiculous she was being. "Just trust me and open your eyes."

Finally, at long last, Bella opened her eyes. And what did she do?

She gasped.

No screams, no wails, no fainting or heart attacks. Just a gasp, followed moments later by...

"It's so beautiful! _Wow_..."

I don't think I've ever laughed that damn hard in my entire life. I swear the woman is a complete mystery to me...and I love her for it.

While everyone else spent about a half hour or a little more up in the air, we were stuck up there for well over an hour. All because Bella didn't want to be reeled back in. Go figure. And because I'm an adrenaline junkie, while she drank in all the scenery, I contemplated if I'd ever be able to one day talk her into possibly going sky diving or maybe even powered paragliding at some point.

As I looked over at her and she smiled at me, the thought of '_Best to start out small with something like bungee jumping_' popped in my head as I grinned back at her.

At least with her around, my life would definitely never be boring.

By the time we made it back to the house, I wanted nothing more than to just spend the rest of the evening relaxing with Bella. Unfortunately for me, everyone was gearing up for a night out on the town. Since the following night would be the last night that most of our family would be on the island, they all wanted to have one last "hoorah", as Demitri put it, before heading home.

As Bella was finishing getting ready, I sat down on the bed to put my shoes on and, not a minute later, my phone rang. I peeked at the caller ID before flipping it open and pressing it to my ear.

"What's up Kate?" I asked as I ran a hand through my hair.

"Hey...do you...would you and Bella possibly be willing to watch Maddie and Vinnie tonight? I hate asking you because I know Bella's on vacation and babysitting is probably the last thing you'd both want to do, but it's just...the last time you all went out I had to baby sit and couldn't go and I really, _really_ wanna go dancing with everyone but mom and dad went out with Carlisle and Esme and the others, and Heidi and Richie don't think they can handle the two little ones on top of the other six, and Gianna said that she'd be okay with you and Bella watching Vinnie because she's really good with him...I mean _freakily_ good with him. She's kind of like a little Vinnie whisperer or something..." she rambled in a nervous frenzy that made me laugh.

"Kate..." I tried to cut in as she kept rambling at mach ten speeds.

"It's just that I feel like I've been babysitting all week while everyone else has been having fun and it's gotten to the point where Maddie has me quoting '_Spongebob_'...and that's just sad..."

"Kate..."

"I swear I'll be in debt to you and whenever you and Bells have kids I'll watch 'em whenever you visit so you two can go out dancing or whatever you want..."

"Kaitlyn!" I practically yelled to get her to stop rambling.

"Yeah?...Sorry," she finally breathed and I chuckled as I shook my head.

"Kate relax, we'll take em," I laughed. "Just pack them a bag with whatever they need and I'll swing by to pick them up in a bit."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she squealed, making me laugh again.

"Just get them ready to go and have either Felix or Dominic pull their car seats out of your mom's car," I said, only getting a quick "On it" before she hung up on me. I chuckled and shut my phone just as Bella emerged from the bathroom.

"What do you think of staying in tonight?" I asked as I looked up at her from where I was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I think you just made my night with those words," she sighed as she closed her eyes with a soft smile and kicked her shoes off.

"Should I be worried about my next ones?" I joked as she opened her eyes and padded over to stand between my legs.

"Why? What _devious _plans are you concocting for us this evening?" she chuckled as she ran her fingers through my hair.

"I was thinking maybe a simple dinner, lounging around in pajamas and watching some cartoons?" I phrased as a question, looking up at her with an innocent expression as she quirked a brow at me.

"I kinda told Kate we'd take Maddie and Vinnie for the night so she could go clubbing with everyone since she didn't get to go last time," I explained.

"Really?" she asked as a beautiful smile graced her glossed lips. I nodded as I ran my hands up and down her sides, "Is that okay with you?"

"It's _better_ than okay with me. What time are we getting them?" she asked as she pulled her hair down from its up-do.

I told her just to change into some comfortable clothes for the night and think of some things we could do with the kids while I ran to pick them up, and on my way down the stairs, I knocked on both Emmett and Jasper's doors. I explained to them that Bella and I'd had a change of plans for the night and to go on and enjoy themselves.

Upon arriving at Diane and Marcus's house, I got my first glimpse of what it's _really_ like to be a parent.

Vinnie streaked past me, butt naked in all his glory with Dominic chasing after him, diaper, shirt and shorts in hand. From somewhere in the direction of the bedrooms down the hall I heard Maddie wailing, but couldn't tell what she was crying about. I'd only been in the door for a minute tops when a frazzled looking Felix booked it past me with a teddy bear that had honestly seen its better days once upon a long time ago and telling me she'd be ready in a minute. The only thought that ran through my stunned brain in that moment was...

'_What in God's name have I gotten us into?_'

All in all though, once the baby was dressed and Maddie had calmed down - she'd been freaking out because she thought her '_boo_-_bear_' was lost - it wasn't as terrifying as I'd been imagining when I'd witnessed all the chaos going on around me. Bella and I actually had a pretty damn enjoyable evening with them if I do say so myself.

We had a simple, messy but simple nonetheless, spaghetti dinner and then took the kids for a walk on the beach. Maddie and I made pictures in the damp sand left behind when the tide rolled out, while Bella took Vinnie down to where the waves were gently lapping the shore. She'd made a game of lifting him just before the wave could get his feet and he giggled hysterically each time she pulled him up.

The hardest part of our night definitely had to be bath time. Jeez, for two kids that I knew had spent quite a bit of time in the pool over the last week, they sure could put up one hell of a fight just trying to get them into the tub. Vinnie was a little easier than Maddie as he calmed down once he was in the water and Bella gave him a set of plastic measuring cups she'd snagged from a kitchen drawer before coming upstairs.

Measuring cups…who knew?

Maddie on the other hand, fought tooth over nail not to get in the tub when it was her turn. She cried and threw herself on the floor and even went as far as kicking poor Bella in the shin. I watched on helplessly as Bella wrangled her into the tub, Vinnie alternating between sucking on his sippie cup and giggling at the scene before him from his perch in my arms.

When they'd fallen asleep after watching three episodes of Sponge-man Shortpants, or something like that, we carried them upstairs to our room and settled them into the center of the bed. The only thing I could think of when I looked down at them was '_This is going to be my life some day_'…and even after the temper tantrums and chaos that I'd witnessed, I couldn't fucking wait.

The only really big downside to the night…kids in the bed equals no intimacy.

None whatsoever...

Not that either of us had any energy remaining to even attempt a quick go-around somewhere away from the bed. We both just looked at each other as we stood side by side at the bottom of the bed, snorted, and gave each other a quick kiss before climbing in on opposite sides of the kids so they wouldn't fall out of the bed.

Within _moments_ of hitting the mattress we were both out cold.

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**A/N: Don't forget to put in your ideas for outtakes! C y'all next week...hopefully! ~Jersey~**


	34. Holiday Oneshot Author's Note

So, so, _so_ sorry for the fake out. I know you all were hoping for an update, and I apologize for not having one ready yet. Between writing one-shots for holiday contests currently running, and for a gift exchange, CPR recertification classes, mandatory equipment training at work, Christmas shopping, and packing for my trip home to New Jersey for New Year's...I've had little time left to work on TOF. I'm going to try my best over the next two days to crank out a chapter for you all for Christmas.

In the meantime, I've written 3 holiday-centric one-shots that I hope you all will enjoy. Two of them can be found on my profile and contain links to the contests they've been entered in within the header. The third is an anonymous entry for the Broken Holiday Record Contest and my penname won't be associated with my entry until the contest ends.

Here are the contest details in case you're interested in checking them out ^_^

Anything Goes Under the Mistletoe: (Entry title is All I Want for Christmas is You)

www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2166075/anythinggoesunderthemistletoe

No voting with this one, but winners are announced Jan 2nd. Check it out to see who wins! Don't forget to review the stories of the authors who so bravely entered their work ^_^

The Broken Holiday Record Contest:

www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2164495

Voting starts December 27th and ends January 1st at 11:59 pm PST. All entries are posted anonymously and the authors will be revealed at the end of the contest. Vote for your favorite stories...and feel free to drop me a PM if you think you've spotted which entry is mine *grins* I'll give you all one hint...it's rated T (Shocking right? LOL)

The Last Minute Holiday Fun Times Contest: (Entry title is The Christmas Gift)

www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/community/The_Last_Minute_Holiday_Fun_Times_One_Shot_Contest/76705/

Voting begins December 26th and ends January 2nd at 11:59 EST. I'm totally not above begging...so please please please vote for The Christmas Gift....or my co-author of ABH Juliebly's story, Bells on Bob Tails Ring, if she gets it submitted in time! It's god-awfully hilarious so even if she doesn't make the deadline, keep an eye on her profile for when she posts it.

Again, I apologize for the lack of an update, but I **swear** it'll be worth the wait once it's finished. You guys are the best kinds of everything awesome out there when it comes to readers. Your responses and overwhelming support are the only reasons I keep writing.

Happy holidays to you all and I wish each and every one of you, reviewers and silent lurkers alike, the very best in the upcoming year.

Don't forget to check out the stories and vote for your favorites! Hopefully mine LOL. Okay I'm off to work my ass off to bring you all some delicious citrus TOF style by Christmas.


	35. Moonlit Melodies

**A/N: Sorry for the lack of a review response and teaser, but I figured you guys would rather me post the chapter rather than having to delay posting to send out teasers ^_^ Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all. **

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Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. They are the property of SMeyer. I only own the plotline to this tropical escape.

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Moonlit Melodies

BPOV

They say time flies when you're having fun. I'd never given much credence to the old adage in my youth, but as of late, I'd found it to be an incredibly true statement. Five weeks on the island had gone by in what felt like a single moment, and yet, I had so very many amazing memories from that brief span of time.

It felt as though Edward's family had just arrived on the island, and already, they were gone. Saying goodbye to them had been difficult. More difficult than I'd ever anticipated, especially when Maddie started crying hysterically and clinging to Edward and I because she didn't want to go.

They'd all endeared themselves to me, even Irina over the last few days of her stay, and with how difficult it ha d been to part with his family, even when I knew I'd see them again and hopefully soon, it made me fearful of how hard it was going to be for me to say goodbye to Edward in just a few more days. I didn't even want to think about it, not at all, because every time I did I nearly broke down in tears. So I took Edward's lead and put on a happy face as I tried to ignore the clock ticking away in the back of my brain.

Monday morning Edward and I had brought the last of his family members - Aunt Heidi's clan - to the airport, and after waving to them one last time after they'd cleared the security checkpoint, he and I headed back to the island. It was only shortly after ten am when we returned to the house and with how silent it was inside, we assumed everyone was still sleeping after having been out nearly all night. Unlike them, we'd retired early the evening before, knowing we'd offered to bring the rest of our family to Rio to catch their early morning flight back to the States.

Why Heidi, Richie, Alec, and Jane all stayed out at Mezcalito's so late when they knew they had to be up at five am, neither of us could explain. I couldn't even comprehend how they were functioning, at bare minimum even, when they told us they hadn't returned to their villas until nearly three am. Somehow, they managed to wake themselves back up after only two hours of sleep and then had to stumble their way through ticketing and security with half lidded eyes and swaggering steps. It was entirely too amusing to Edward and I who were fully rested, showered, and well caffeinated by the ungodly hour of quarter to six.

_Highly_ unheard of for me...but I was holding firm to my excuse that my abnormally cheerful early awakening had been a bizarre side-effect of Edward's having sexed me into unconsciousness before the moon had barely even made its appearance in the night's sky.

We made our ways into the kitchen and began making breakfast for everyone, knowing the scents wafting through the house would begin to wake the others slowly but surely. As the smells of sizzling bacon, sausage, eggs, and waffles mingled with fresh brewed coffee in the kitchen, I heard the first set of feet padding down the stairs.

"I bet you it's Emmett," Edward chuckled as he turned the bacon in the skillet. I listened closely and snorted as I shook my head, the familiar irregularly paced heavy steps alerting me to their owner.

"It's Rose," I snickered quietly as I emptied the skillet full of scrambled eggs out into a bowl and set them in the oven to keep warm.

"I smell waffles...and coffee...need _coffee_," she mumbled as she staggered around the corner looking for all the world like she'd just stuck her finger in an electrical socket. Her normally tame golden waves were standing on end and seemingly teased to uncharted heights, making it look more like a wild lion's mane than her typical Rosalie bed-head.

"Morning beautiful," I chirped as I handed her a steaming mug of sugar with a drop of coffee. "Get into a fight with a can of hairspray and a pick this morning?"

"Nope," she grinned sleepily. "With the way you two were snoring last night, Edward may have screwed you both into a coma but Emmett fucked me straight back to the eighties. All I need is a pair of zebra print spandex, plastic bangles, and a sliced up sweatshirt to complete the look."

"We were snoring?" I tittered, completely ignoring the rest of her mumbled statement. I didn't want _any_ details off of that one. _At all_.

"Oh my God...the pair of you were raising the roof!" she laughed hoarsely. "It sounded like there was a tractor pull or something goin' on up there."

"We didn't keep you up all night, did we?" Edward asked worriedly as he joined us at the kitchen island, completely unaware of her previous sexing comment.

"Nah," she snorted. "We were just going to sleep when your alarm clock went off."

"Don't ask," I laughed, shaking my head at him as his brow furrowed when she grinned goofily.

"Something smells _delicious_," Esme's groggy voice greeted us, along with the shuffling sound of her slippers.

"Good morning...coffee?" I asked, pouring it as she turned the corner. She smiled gratefully and patted my cheek as I handed her a fresh mug of black coffee.

"Thank you, sweetheart," she sighed and kissed my cheek as she passed.

One by one everyone started filing into the kitchen and within minutes, Edward and I were serving them the food we'd been keeping warm in the oven. My first bite of strawberry and whipped cream covered waffle had almost made it into my mouth when my eyes caught sight of Emmett down the table from me, and the fork stopped just in front of my gaping mouth. I'd come to know over the last few weeks that Emmett was a hearty eater - more like a human vacuum really - but the sheer amount of food sitting in front of him was..._staggering_.

My eyes must have been bulging out of my head because when he looked up, his own fork stopped just short of his mouth as his brow furrowed.

"What?" he asked, looking around the table at everyone - who in that moment I noticed were all staring at him as well. "I'm starving...I haven't eaten in like fourteen hours."

"Dude...you're gonna sink the kayak today," Jasper chuckled, pointing his fork between Emmett and his plates of food.

"Kayak?" I asked in confusion as my brain suddenly sparked back to life. Must have been triggered by the sound of my strawberry plopping into my whipped cream after falling off my fork or something.

"Yeah...Em and I were thinking we'd take you guys kayaking in some mangroves," Jasper nodded and then shoveled some syrup drenched waffle into his mouth.

"That'd be a wonderful experience for the girls," Carlisle smiled as Esme nodded.

"Which ones?" Edward asked after swallowing his sip of coffee. "If you wanted to hit up the ones in Florianopolis we would have had to have left like two hours ago to get in on one of the tours...high tourist season and all."

"Hell no...I don't want the experience ruined by a bunch of kids getting yelled at to be more careful with their paddles," Emmett griped. "There's other mangroves around besides that one."

"Why don't you boys take them to the underground river cave systems just north of here...I believe there's mangroves at the entrance to those," Esme suggested.

"Oh man...that'd be awesome. You still remember how to get there, man?" Jasper asked, looking at Edward excitedly. "I haven't been there in _years_."

"Yeah, actually. I don't know why I didn't think of those," he grinned in response and then turned his head toward me. "Are you up for a little kayaking trip?"

"So far you've managed to get me to go water tubing, sports fishing, motorcycle riding, cliff jumping, zip lining, windsurfing, ATV riding, and parasailing. Unless there are some white water rapids that I'm unaware we're heading toward, I do believe _kayaking_ will be _least_ terrifying activity we've done so far...especially seeing as how I swore I was gonna be eaten by a barracuda while snorkeling when it was a tarpon," I mused, trying to subdue my laughter.

"And you loved every minute of all of it...well almost every minute," he chuckled as he leaned to the side for a kiss which I gladly gave him.

The rest of breakfast passed with the guys, and Esme and Carlisle, all trying to describe the mangroves and cave systems we'd be paddling through, and honestly, they sounded breathtaking. I couldn't wait to see them firsthand.

"I hope I have one of those waterproof disposable cameras left," Rose smiled as she leaned back in her chair and patted her stomach.

"If not I still have two in my suitcase that we never used," Alice chimed in with a nod as she lifted her last bite of fruit to her mouth.

"You kids go on and get ready. I'll take care of this and pack you all a lunch to take with you," Esme offered graciously.

Just short of an hour later we were pulling away from the marina in Emmett's yacht, Jimmy Buffett blaring through the high tech stereo system, and three two person kayaks strapped down tightly to the front deck. The smile on Edward's face as he navigated the boat through the water with the wind in his hair was absolutely breathtaking. It saddened me to think that I'd be without the daily sight of it when I left, but I forced myself not to focus on the fact that the end of our vacation was rapidly approaching. It'd only be a month or two, give or take, until he could join me.

It'd be a miserable month or two, but we'd make it through it.

When we reached our destination, Edward dropped anchor and Emmet and Jasper set about retrieving the kayaks from the front deck of the boat. I couldn't even see the entrance to the mangroves from where we'd anchored, and when I asked where it was, Edward told me that we were going to have to paddle out and around the reef to the entrance of them. When he'd said that, I was instantly thankful that the water was fairly calm. I could just imagine our kayak being tipped over by a freak rogue wave...and the thought was none too comforting when combined with the sight of the jagged reef peeking out of the water as the tide rolled over it.

Couple by couple we slipped into our kayaks off the back of the boat, the guys climbing in first to keep it steady for us as we clambered in.

"Where's my paddle?" I asked, turning to look at Edward behind me.

"You don't have one. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the views, love," he smiled as he leaned forward to press a kiss to my temple.

I grinned at him and twisted the cord to the third water proof camera Esme had given us around my wrist so I wouldn't drop it. I knew it would float, but knowing my luck, it'd get stuck in a wicked current and disappear before we could catch it.

Edward paddled just a short distance away from the boat and kept the kayak steady against the current as we waited for the others to get situated and join us.

"Have you ever been kayaking before?" Edward asked, his voice accompanied by the gentle sloshing of the paddles in the water.

"Once," I nodded as I tilted my head to the side to try and see him. "It was some stupid class trip I'd been forced to go on in the eighth grade for our biology class."

"Doesn't sound like you enjoyed it much," he chuckled and I laughed as I shook my head.

"It was horrible. I got stuck in this beat up hunk of plastic that I swore would sink if you dropped a quarter in it, and much worse, got stuck in it with this crap of a kid that despised me for some reason," I told him, rolling my eyes as I thought of that little shit. For the life of me, however, I couldn't remember his name.

"I'm sure he didn't actually despise you...in fact, if memory serves correctly, boys usually tortured the girls they had crushes on," he snickered and I snorted. Right.

"Rose! What was that damn kid's name that hated my guts in middle school? The one I got stuck in the bucket of doom with," I yelled out to her and she guffawed instantly, her head tipping back as she shook with laughter.

"Christopher Wellington! My God that boy had it _bad_ for you!" she called back, highly amused.

"Told ya," Edward laughed. "So what happened that was so bad on the trip?"

"It was just a complete disaster from start to finish. They dragged us out to this river where we were supposed to document the native wildlife or something, and this idiot of a kid sitting behind me in the bucket of doom keeps telling me about poisonous snakes that live in the river...so naturally I'm instantly terrified of the murky water. Like to the point where I don't even want to extend my arm out over it to paddle," I explain, ignoring his quiet chuckling behind me. "So I spend three friggen hours with him yelling stuff like "_Oh my God_" or "_Holy shit_" every time I manage to calm down and I freak the hell out again and he, of course, finds this god awfully hilarious."

"He really did torture the hell out of her on that trip," Alice chimes in sympathetically as she and Jasper neared us. "At one point he splashed her with water and told her the kayak was capsizing and I swear Mr. Dagostino thought she was going to pass out."

"Why didn't he tell him to knock it off?" Edward asked as he leaned forward and rubbed my shoulder.

"He did...repeatedly. Even assigned him a week's worth of detention, but he wouldn't stop...he just started being more quiet about it so Mr. D wouldn't hear it," I sighed as Emmett and Rosalie finally made it to us.

"Did you tell him the best part yet?" Rose asked, trying to hide her snicker and I shook my head as I chuckled.

"What was the best part?" Edward asked and I turned to look at him as I smirked.

"When he started rocking the boat, I got _pissed_ because of how badly he'd scared me with the whole snake thing and I was afraid he was going to tip the damn kayak. So I kinda...hithimwithmypaddle," I finished in a rush as Rosalie and Alice started cracking up.

"You _what_?" Edward sputtered in amusement.

"Hit him with my paddle...right upside the head apparently," I snickered.

"Oh man...she whopped him good. Knocked him clear out of the kayak and into the freezing cold water," Rosalie laughed. "He was _furious_."

"What kind of kayak were you in that it didn't tip over?" Jasper chuckled and I shrugged. I had no idea.

"Hell if I know...it wasn't like these though," I stated. "The ones we had were like basically sitting on top of a hunk of plastic with really shallow seats."

When Alice and Rosalie finished telling the tale of how Christopher had to finish the trip sharing a kayak with Mr. D after he forced us to switch buckets of doom so I could have the single seated one, the guys started paddling us toward the mangrove entrance.

Upon seeing them, I realized the descriptions we'd been given earlier had paled significantly in comparison to the firsthand view of them. The water was crystal clear and incredibly calm, only gently rippling across the surface and making the sunlight filtering through dance upon the sand and rock beneath. Tiny silver fish were darting around everywhere and I even spotted a few starfish clinging to chunks of rock.

The water could only be two and a half feet deep at most beneath us, and it made me wonder how we weren't bottoming out or hurting anything under us, but Edward assured me we weren't disturbing anything in our wake. Along the banks, twisted roots rose out of the water, twining multiple trees together gracefully. It was impossible to differentiate where one tree began and another ended. It was as if they were all one giant thriving tree, sprawled out across the land.

The further we traveled into the winding waterway, the more dense the canopy became until we were completely sheltered beneath it and having to duck under low lying branches. I nearly screamed when I saw something scuttle across one of said low lying branches as we passed under it, instantly assuming it had been a freakishly giant spider. Edward just chuckled and told me it was a mangrove crab and moved us closer to the edge to point out how they scurried about amongst the tree roots. I hadn't noticed them before, but they were _everywhere_. Tiny little crabs, no bigger than two inches or so with one highly amusing large claw.

By the time we were coming back out into a more open area, my stupid ass had used up nearly my entire roll of film. Thankfully the girls hadn't been as interested in taking pictures of crabs, birds, weaved trees and Edward and myself as I had been because the entrance to the cave systems was _out of this world._ I'd never seen anything like it.

Paddling across an open area of shallow waters and toward a cliff rising at least a hundred feet straight out of the water with a roughly six foot gap between it's walls, I wished I hadn't wasted so many frames. The water was as blue as the sky and the foliage clinging to the rocks almost created a curtain to the entrance. It was truly magnificent in it's natural beauty.

"Em...what time is it?" Edward asked, his voice echoing off the cliff walls.

"Almost four thirty," he responded as he led the way further into the cave.

"Perfect timing," Edward said quietly and I could hear the grin in his voice.

"Perfect timing for what?" I asked curiously as I carefully lifted my legs and stretched them out over the front of the kayak.

"In about twenty minutes to a half hour, the sun will sink low enough to filter in under the cliff ledge on the other side. It sets all the water inside off into the most amazing electric blue you'll ever see. It's breathtaking," he grinned as I tilted my head back to look at him and sank further down into my seat. He leaned forward and pressed a soft upside down kiss to my lips and the tip of my nose before sitting upright again.

"That water's _freezing_," Alice giggled after sticking her hand into it.

"Yeah...it comes from a subterranean river. Without the sun to heat it before it exits the caves, it stays ice cold. It's about the freshest water you'll ever find though," Jasper informed her. "It's basically rain filtered naturally through the rock and sediment before combining with the river's natural spring source."

"Hey Emmett...try to tie up around that pillar up there so we can all link up," Edward said as he pointed to a spike of rock sticking up out of the water.

Once we were all tied together and counter anchored on our side by another jagged rock, the guys rested their paddles and stretched out in our kayaks, Edward's legs resting on either side of me. The girls were busy snapping pictures of the sun filtering through the holes in the ceiling and some of the rock formations, but I was busy watching the water slowly change shades of color right before my very eyes. By the time the girls had even taken notice of it, I'd seen it change from blacks and grays to a shockingly vivid mix of blues and silvers where the lit up rock faces reflected off the surface. It was an incredible sight to behold.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Edward whispered as his fingers gently scratched my scalp.

"Definitely. It's like something I'd expect to only ever exist in dreams," I whispered back, listening to the snapping and clicking noises of Rosalie and Alice's cameras reverberate off of the surrounding stone.

We sat there for a while longer, unable to tear our gazes away from the beauty surrounding us. The only sounds accompanying us being our occasional hushed whispers between one another and the gentle trickling and lapping sounds of the water current flowing across and between the rock beneath us.

"We should probably start heading back," Emmett said suddenly, his abnormally quiet tone still shattering the serene silence that had enveloped us. "It's gonna take about an hour to paddle back out."

I sighed, taking one last look around as Edward set about untying us and made a mental note to make sure we came back here the next time we came to the island.

When we made it back to the house, we all showered and met up with Carlisle and Esme to head down to Mezcalito's for dinner. It was enjoyable, the meal filled with casual chatter and easy going laughter, but I truly did miss the craziness of having the entire family with us.

I missed the kids running around the tables, laughing and stealing food from people's plates.

I missed the obnoxiously loud guffaws of Emmett, Demitri, Felix, and Dominic when they really got going on one another.

I missed Aro's overwhelmingly amusing adage blunders.

I missed them. All of them.

"Are you ready to head home, love?" Edward asked, twirling a lock of my hair around his fingers as his arm rested across the back of my chair.

I nodded tiredly as he leaned in for a tender kiss. It had been a long day for us, what with getting up before five am and spending a good portion of the day kayaking...not that I'd expended much energy in doing so since Edward had done all the paddling, but I was still tired. I finished the last few sips of my wine and stood along with him to wish everyone a goodnight.

Once he'd straddled the bike, he pulled me into his side and wrapped his arms tightly around me.

"I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean to make you feel like we had to leave, but I just...after all the excitement of this past week, I just wanted to spend some quiet time alone with you," he murmured softly.

"It's okay," I smiled and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I was ready to head home and just be with you too."

I climbed onto the back of the bike and wrapped my arms around him, lightly resting the palms of my hands against his chest. He rode slowly, occasionally letting go of one of the handles to hold my hand against his heart while threading his fingers between mine. I savored the feeling of the strong steady beat beneath my palm as the wind blew through our hair.

By the time we'd made it back to the house, the sun had fully set and the inside of the house was barely lit by the light of the rising moon. We didn't bother turning on any lights as Edward led me straight up the stairwell into our room. I kicked off my shoes once he shut the door behind us and went in search of something to wear to bed.

"I'll be in the piano room. Join me when you're done changing?" he asked as he stood behind me and ran his hands up and down my arms. I tilted my head up and to the side as I reached up to cup his cheek.

"Of course," I smiled softly and received a lingering kiss before he backed away.

I stepped into his closet and started sifting through the drawers, looking for something comfortable to wear. A smile played on my lips as I looked up and saw the mix of our clothing hanging from the bars. It was visible proof of the ways in which our lives had combined, the ways in which we'd become so very much a part of each other.

I gave up my search for something comfortable of my own to wear and grabbed one of his white button down shirts from off a hanger. It was soft and hung loosely from my slight frame, coming down to about mid thigh, but it was the smell of the shirt - the smell of _him_ - that drove my desire to wear it. I vowed then and there that, whether he knew it or not, I was bringing one of his shirts home with me. A piece of him to keep close to me in his absence.

I rolled the sleeves up to my elbows and buttoned just the middle four buttons, and then stepped out of the closet wearing nothing but his shirt and a pair of white lace bikini underwear. I stepped into the bathroom quickly to brush my teeth and run my fingers through my hair before heading to join him in the piano room, from where soft notes had been emanating and weaving themselves into a painfully sweet melody.

The moment I stepped through the doorway the melody ceased, leaving the gentle hum of the fading tones floating in the air as his gaze locked on me. His eyes drank in the sight of me in a way that made my blood sing and my pulse soar with the unbridled desire held within the depths of his mossy orbs.

"Have I told you lately how incredibly beautiful you are?" he asked huskily as I slowly crossed the carpeted floor toward him.

"Only every day," I smiled warmly as he pushed his bench seat back and reached out for me.

"If I haven't told you at least a dozen times a day...then I haven't told you nearly enough," he grinned as he took my hand in his and brought me to stand between his legs.

His eyes traveled over every inch of me as his hands slid up the outside of my thighs and disappeared under the hem of his shirt. "Do you have any idea how much I love you wearing my clothes?"

I sighed, my eyes fluttering closed as his warm hands caressed and kneaded my flesh, his fingers gripping the upper backs of my thighs before slipping beneath the lace fabric of my panties. "Hopefully as much as I love wearing them."

"How do you _do_ this to me?" he groaned, pressing his forehead against my stomach.

"Do what?" I asked, not knowing what he was talking about as I thread my fingers into his hair.

In an instant I was pushed back against his piano with him standing in front of me, my weight bearing down on the keys and creating discordant and unmelodic sounds to reverberate through the room as he pressed himself against me. The hardness restrained within his shorts instantly setting me ablaze with desire as he ground it against my heated core.

"_That_, Bella. I have no control over it when you're near me," he stressed, his breathing becoming ragged as he punctuated his first word with a hard thrust against me, causing another harsh combination of tones to ring throughout the room with the sound of my throaty moan accompanying it.

"You do the same to me," I panted, grabbing his hand and pressing his fingers against the dampened lace of my panties.

A rumbling groan burst from his chest as he crashed his lips onto mine, his tongue hot, wet, and insistent in its search for my own as his fingers pressed against my covered heat, instinctively moving straight to my cloth covered clit and circling it with a divinely torturous slow pace.

My hands moved to his belt upon their own accord, my mind unable to form a single coherent thought while he devoured me so passionately with his fingers, lips, and tongue. A whimper escaped me as his fingers disappeared, only to grab a hold of my fumbling hands and raise bring them around his neck as he slowed our kiss.

"Slow down, angel...we have all night," he murmured against my lips.

"I wanna touch you..._feel_ you," I stammered, my chest heaving with labored breaths.

He smirked and kissed my chin, dragging his teeth gently across the skin and soothing it instantly with his moist lips. My hips were lifted off the keys and I heard the lid snap closed before the coolness of the wood met my overheated lace covered flesh.

Edward stood to his full height between my thighs, my legs wrapped around him as he pressed a hand to the center of my chest and gently pushed, silently urging me to lay back. My eyes remained locked on his as I arched my back over the top of the piano. His eyes were smoldering; a vortex of lust, love, want and need as his hand slowly traveled over the skin of my chest, sliding between the fabric of his shirt - his fingers nimbly undoing the buttons as he made his way further down, leaving the shirt barely clinging to my breasts as it completely fell away from my stomach.

"So beautiful," he murmured, his tone and gaze almost reverent as he trailed just the tips of his fingers back up my tingling and gooseflesh covered skin.

He lifted my hips again and slid me across the top of the piano so that my back was no longer arched over the ledge and unwrapped my legs from his waist, gently placing the soles of my feet down on the keyboard lid.

"Edward, please," I whimpered, needing to both touch and be touched.

"Shhh, just feel, baby. Let everything else fade away and just feel," he urged as his fingers danced along my legs tenderly.

I was a whimpering, writhing mess beneath his touch, loving what he was doing to me but needing more...so much more. The way his lips slid across the flesh of my chest and stomach - leaving trails of fire and ice in their wake, the way his hands danced across my skin so tender and gentle as if I were made of the most fragile fine porcelain while sparking fires within me that burned slow and scorching hot...it was all too much, and yet, I still somehow needed _more_. By the time he'd hooked his fingers around the strings on the sides of my panties and began to tug them down...I was ready to combust.

Not even a moment after I heard the soft and barely audible sound of my panties hitting the floor, Edward's lips were on my ankle, trailing slowly over my skin; nipping, sucking, and kissing his way up to where I needed him the most in that moment. When I opened my eyes to gaze down at him, I was enraptured by the sight of his bare chest just as he shrugged his unbuttoned shirt off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor...and my God...I wanted to hurl myself off the top of the piano just to touch him - to trace the sinfully delicious lines of his muscled chest and abs with my fingers and tongue.

Slowly, ever so slowly, his mouth finally reached the apex between my thighs and he pressed a moist kiss just above my lips as his hands pushed my thighs further apart. I was incredibly exposed to him in this position, but I couldn't care less. I loved how he gazed upon me with such immense desire. I _wanted_ him to look at me...to see me - every inch of me. I had no doubt I was beautiful in his eyes and the knowledge of that made it impossible for me to feel even slightly modest or shy. Every gaze and touch from him made me feel like a goddess..._his_ brunette goddess.

"I want to hear you, baby. No one's home...it's just us," he urged, his voice gritty and deep, and as his tongue slid between my lips and circled my clit...heard me he most definitely did. The moan that burst from my lips as my back arched off the black lacquered wooden surface echoed within the room.

"_Sweet Jesus_," I gasped as he nipped at my clit, his fingers gliding slowly between my wet folds.

Sweet torture. Sweet, sweet torture was the only way to describe what he was doing to me. My entire body was trembling with want and need, my chest heaving with ragged breaths as he slowly slid two fingers into me, curling their tips before pulling back and pushing in again with the same measured pace - his tongue laving lazy circles over and around my incredibly sensitive bundle of nerves while his other hand kept me spread open to him.

With each plunge and curl of his fingers, the tension in my lower abdomen tightened even further as I moaned and whimpered his name. I could feel myself beginning to clamp down around his fingers, and I knew he could feel it too because he groaned against my flesh and thrust his fingers in as deep as he could, curling their tips and pushing against me as he massaged my G-spot. The tension in my abdomen snapped, sending me flying over the edge, my pussy walls contracting and pulsing around him as I cried out his name loudly and arched off the piano with my hands buried in his hair, holding him to me as he rode me through the intense waves of pleasure.

My hands came to my chest as I fought to catch my breath while he rained kisses upon the flesh of my inner thighs and up to my hips. It was a futile effort as the harder I tried to calm myself, the more out of breath I became as my heart pounded furiously against my hand, worked into a frenzy by the most intense orgasm of my _entire_ life. My arms fell limply to the sides of me, my hands landing on either side of my head as my eyes closed and I allowed the post-orgasm bliss to overtake me entirely.

"You have no idea how utterly and indescribably beautiful you are, laid out in nothing but my shirt, fully exposed, chest heaving, your skin flushed from climax and your hair fanned across my piano," he murmured huskily, running both of his hands up and down my torso.

I opened my eyes, focusing them on his as I grasped his hands, lacing our fingers together tightly as I breathed the only words I could form in that moment, "I love you."

He smiled and pulled gently on my hands, bringing my upper body toward him and then releasing my hands to wrap his arms around me. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he lowered me down onto the keyboard lid and cradled the back of my head with his hand as while gazing down at me.

"I love _you_, Bella..._always_," he whispered as he ducked his head down, his breath fanning across my lips as he closed the distance between us.

A soft sigh expelled itself from my lungs as his tongue twined with mine. My hands finally laid upon his skin, the way they'd been longing to do for what seemed like endless hours. The electric current I'd felt the first time I'd touched him, when I'd placed my hand in his after he formally introduced himself at the tiki bar, was still present and just strong as it had been during that first touch.

"Make love to me...please?" I whispered as we broke apart, my hands sliding up and down the smooth expanse of his muscular back. He grasped my face gently, caressing my cheeks with his thumbs as he gazed through my eyes and into the very depths of my soul.

"You never have to ask, love. You know I'd give you anything your heart could ever desire," he replied softly, rubbing his nose against mine.

"I just want you...only you," I told him with every ounce of sincerity I had in me as I lowered my hands to his belt.

I unfastened it fluidly and slowly moved to his button, dipping the tips of my fingers beneath the waistband of his shorts as I did so. He tilted my head up and pressed his lips against mine as the button freed itself and our tongues tangled and twirled around each other as I lowered his zipper, pushing his shorts and boxers down off his hips. He stepped out of them and kicked them off to the side without taking his mouth away from mine for a single moment as he pulled me to the very edge of the keyboard lid.

I felt his rock hard erection against my thigh and moaned softly as I wrapped my hand around it, stroking it gently as he stepped closer to me and brought one of his hands down to mine. The feeling of our hands stroking his cock together mixed with his throaty groan set me ablaze once again.

"Fuck I love it when you touch me," he panted as he broke away from our kiss and his head fell back.

He tilted it forward again and looked down at our joined hands sliding against his silky and hard flesh. As our hands moved back up his shaft, I ran my thumb over the head of his cock, spreading the pearl of moisture that had leaked out across his tip.

Together we guided him to my entrance, and when he was pressed against it, his other hand came to the side of my neck, his thumb caressing a line across the front of it as he tilted me backwards and watched himself slide into me. He paused only part way in as his eyes closed and his chest and stomach heaved with a series of ragged breaths. His fingers weaved into the hair at the base of my neck and tightened, tugging gently to tilt my head up toward him as his eyes reopened and focused on mine while he slowly pushed himself into me fully.

"I'll never tire of making love to you," he said as he pulled out slightly and pushed back in with an excruciatingly slow pace.

"Not even if I spend every second...of every day...of my life connected to you like this," he breathed, his movements within me remaining steadily slow and deep.

I leaned back as he hooked one of his arms under my knee, bringing it up higher as his other arm wrapped behind my back, keeping the edge of the top of the piano from chaffing my skin as we moved together. His lips were everywhere on me - my lips, my neck, my shoulders - as his thrusts began to quicken, hitting deeper and harder...just the way I needed him to. The masterfully painted walls in the room echoed our moans and sounds of passionate lovemaking back to us as we pushed each other closer and closer to the edge of oblivion.

"Bella...Bella...._fuck_, you feel so goddamn amazing. I love you so much...come with me, baby," he panted, slamming into me forcefully as he claimed my entire body as his own.

His final thrust slammed into me so hard I was lifted off the lid and into his arms as we cried out breathlessly, my orgasm hitting me like an avalanche as my walls constricted around his cock pulsing deep within me.

I don't know how, as I couldn't recall falling or being laid down, but somehow Edward and I wound up lying on the carpeted floor with me straddling him and sprawled across his torso. His arms were wrapped around me under his shirt, his hands sliding up and down the skin of my back as his chest rose and fell with deep heavy breaths.

"That was..." I panted, trailing off when I failed in finding the right words to describe our lovemaking.

"Mind blowing...Earth shattering...sensational?" he stammered, obviously having the same problem I was...though not nearly as severe. He was at least able to come up with three relatively accurate descriptions of what we'd just experienced.

"All of the above," I grinned exhaustedly.

We laid there for a while longer in silence, no sounds to be heard within the house or the room aside from our calming breaths as he alternated between rubbing my back and running his fingers through my hair while I traced mindless patterns on his chest with my fingertips.

"Can I play something for you?" he asked just above a whisper, seeming as though he'd been lost in thought as his hand stilled on the back of my head.

"I'd love to hear you play," I smiled as I lifted my head and kissed his chin.

We picked ourselves up off the floor and he pulled on his boxers before taking a seat on the piano bench. He ran his hand across the lid and tilted his head toward me and smiled as I crossed the sides of his shirt over my torso and sat down beside him.

"I'll never be able to look at this thing again without grinning like an ass," he chuckled, leaning toward me for a kiss.

"Meh," I shrugged, amused. "You've been grinning like an ass a lot lately."

"With damn good reason," he winked as he brought my hand up to his lips and kissed across my knuckles.

I leaned against him as he lifted the lid from the keyboard and stretched his fingers, all outward signs of playfulness completely subdued. When his fingers began to caress the keys, the sounds coming from the piano began to fill the room with what I could only describe as a sweet sadness. It was slightly melancholic, but the high notes held a feeling of hope in them. Within moments deep chords began to harmonize perfectly with his plucking of the heartstring tugging high melody.

Tears formed in my eyes as the music came to life slowly, picking up tempo and energy as it progressed. It literally felt like I could feel him coming alive right next to me. When he hit the crescendo, the tears that had been building in my eyes sprang loose and streamed down my face. It felt like he was bursting with life and love.

The crescendo led right into the very end of the composition where the high notes returned but no longer held a sense of sadness. Instead, it left me feeling as though I'd been healed and turned whole again...that _he_ had been healed and turned whole again.

"Who?" I whispered, knowing instinctively that he'd been the creator of the piece, and wanting to know who inspired such beautiful music.

He ducked his head and grasped a hold of my hand, running his thumb over my engagement ring as he peeked over at me and spoke softly, "You."

"How? When?" I stammered in disbelief.

"It just came to me in pieces while watching you sleep over the last few weeks. I haven't been sleeping well lately at night...so after watching you sleep for a while I'd slip in here and work on it a bit. The end came to me this afternoon in the caves...this was the first time I've played it as a complete piece," he said as he brushed the tear tracks off my cheeks with the backs of his fingers.

"It's beautiful," I sighed, completely awestruck that something so moving had been inspired by watching me sleep. Been inspired by me _at all_.

"It should be...because it's _you_, Bella," he said softly as he pulled me into the warmth of his embrace. "It's how you make me feel when I'm with you or think of you."

It was in that moment that it struck me that I wasn't going to be able to leave him. There was no way I'd be able to get on a plane and leave my heart...my everything thousands of miles behind me.

I wasn't going to be able to do it...not without shattering both of our hearts in the process.

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**A/N: Before I head out for the remainder of this fine year, I'm gonna do a little pleading LOL. Please, please, please check out the holiday one-shots myself and other authorts have posted in the Anything Goes Under the Mistletoe, The Broken Holiday Record, and The Last Minute Holiday Fun Times contests, and vote for your favorites. **

**Anything Goes Under the Mistletoe: (Entry title is All I Want for Christmas is You)**

**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2166075/anythinggoesunderthemistletoe**

**No voting with this one, but winners are announced Jan 2nd. Check it out to see who wins! Don't forget to review the stories of the authors who so bravely entered their work ^_^**

**The Broken Holiday Record Contest:**

**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2164495**

**Voting starts December 27th and ends January 1st at 11:59 pm PST. All entries are posted anonymously and the authors will be revealed at the end of the contest. Vote for your favorite stories...and feel free to drop me a PM if you think you've spotted which entry is mine *grins* I'll give you all one hint...it's rated T (Shocking right? LOL)**

**The Last Minute Holiday Fun Times Contest: (Entry title is The Christmas Gift)**

**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/community/The_Last_Minute_Holiday_Fun_Times_One_Shot_Contest/76705/**

**Voting begins December 26th and ends January 2nd at 11:59 EST. I'm totally not above begging...so please please please vote for The Christmas Gift....or my co-author of ABH Juliebly's story, Bells on Bob Tails Ring, if she gets it submitted in time! It's god-awfully hilarious so even if she doesn't make the deadline, keep an eye on her profile for when she posts it.**

**I'll be heading home to NJ on Monday to be with my friends and family, and won't be back home until the 8th....which means...no updates for 2 weeks. I'm gonna try to get some chapters written while I'm away, but I doubt I'll be able to find the time to type, edit, and post them until I return. **

**Thank you all so much for all of your kind words and encouragements to keep writing, it's because of all of you that I haven't given up on something I enjoy when I couldn't seem to get through the bouts of writer's block or periods of time when I lacked inspiration. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to all of you. I wish you all the best in the approaching new year. **

**See you all in 2010!!! **


	36. Changes n Latitudes Changes n Attitudes

**A/N****: Where to start, where to start. Okay so everyone knows that I went home on vacation at the beginning of the year...well while on said vacation, I'd written this chapter on my mom's craptop...and I'm calling it a craptop for a specific reason...it ate this chapter when the harddrive took a dump. So I spent the last five days of my vacation writing this damn thing over and over and over again...only to wind up throwing an entire notebook full of restarts out in the trashcan on my way off the plane when I returned home because they were all crap and couldn't even begin to compare to the original. **

**And then the writer's block kicked in....and lingered....and lingered...and you get the idea.**

**So while in the midst of my horrendous bout of writer's block where nothing for this story would come out of my constipated brain, a sudden surge of plagarizers decided to descend upon myself and probably a thousand other authors. One of my other stories, Breaking the Silence, was stolen and posted on this site as well as on wattpad, and thus began a struggle within me as to whether or not I even wanted to finish this story or any of my others, or just rip everything down from everywhere and say the hell with it. **

**Being that I've decided to post an update...it goes without saying that I've decided against disappearing. Yeah, it sucks that people tried to rip me off and take credit for something I worked hard on, but I didn't start doing this for notoriety. I started doing this because I enjoy it, and I enjoy hearing what others think of what I put out there...so I'm not going to let them win by taking away one of the few things I enjoy in life. Nuff said. **

**Before I go and post this, I just want to apologize now for the lack of review responses. I was going to send out a teaser tonight for this chapter, but figured since it's been a month...you guys would rather have the full on chapter. ENJOY PEOPLE!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. All Twilight related material belongs solely to SMeyer.

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Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

BPOV

"Angela..._please_. I'm begging here. I don't care what you have to do. Postpone it...cancel it entirely for all I care," I whisper yelled, trying to keep my voice from echoing within the tiled room in an effort to not wake Edward.

"Bella, honey, you're not understanding me. There's nothing I _can _do," she responded, sounding exasperated as I heard the rustling of her bedding and assumed she was leaving the bedroom so she wouldn't wake Ben.

I felt terrible that I'd woken her at nearly midnight on her end, but when almost six am rolled around and I hadn't slept a wink through all of my tossing and turning, I couldn't put it off any longer. I slipped from the bed and snuck into the bathroom, perching myself on the cold edge of the porcelain tub as I dialed her number.

"Listen, you know I'd do anything for you, but what you're asking for can't possibly be done," she continued after I heard the faint closing of a door. "We already pushed the dates of this tour back once. If we attempt it again, venues and journalists alike will back out of it completely and you and I, as well as the entire firm, will lose credibility."

"But I can't _do this, _Ang. I can't leave him behind like this...it's gonna kill me," I whimpered, my eyes filling up with tears of despair.

"Sweetie, I love you, you've become one of my nearest and dearest friends over the years and I'm telling you this because I care, not just because I'm the agent that oversees nearly all of your affairs. You need this, Bella. You're an amazing writer, you don't need me to tell you that, but you and I both know it takes more than just talent to stay on top in this business," she stressed as I gnawed my trembling lip. "You need the publicity to stay on the best selling lists or you're name is going to fade into the bargain bins section. Don't do this to yourself, Bella. Don't sabotage the career you worked so hard for."

"What good is my damn career if it takes me away from what makes me happy? I haven't been happy in a _long _time," I whined petulantly and she sighed.

"You're happy now, but how happy will you be when you wake up one day and realize that you threw away everything you'd worked so hard for? You may not remember the very beginning of this journey, Bella...but I do. I clearly remember the girl I met in my office that would stop at nothing and allow no one to stand in her way of achieving her dreams. Why would you let _yourself_ be that obstacle now when you're at the top of your game?" she responded as I slid down the side of the tub onto the floor, bringing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arm around them.

I didn't have an answer for her. I didn't even have an answer for myself. The only thing I knew was that for the first time in my life I'd found honest to God true happiness, and I wasn't ready to let go of it for any amount of time just yet.

The tears continued to trail down my face as I realized there really wasn't anything that could be done about the situation. She was right. The stupid tour was something I needed to do to keep my career thriving and I'd pushed it off for as long as I'd possibly been capable of. I knew I was being melodramatic over the entire thing, but the idea of being apart from him was truly tearing me to pieces. And that agony only got worse by the day...even though we hadn't yet parted from each other.

"Bella?" she called out after a prolonged length of silence on my end.

"I'm here, Ang...I'm here," I sighed.

"I know the timing of all of this is horrific, but none of us foresaw you falling in love on vacation when we started planning this tour over a year ago. I'm sorry, Bella, really I am," she said sadly.

"Love? Who are you talking to and why are you hiding in the bathroom?" Edward's groggy voice startled me, making my head shoot up from where I'd been resting my forehead against my arms. He frowned as he spotted my face, undoubtedly stained with tear tracks.

"No, I know no one counted on any of this happening. I'll let you get back to bed, Angela. I'm sorry for waking you so late," I said apologetically and Edward's frown deepened as he approached me and crouched down in front of me.

"It's okay, Bells. Enjoy the rest of your trip and I'll see you when you get back," she replied kindly.

I said goodnight to her and snapped my phone shut before dragging the backs of my hands across my face to wipe away the moisture of my tears. When I pulled my hands back, I was met with Edward's concerned gaze as he rested his hands atop my knees.

"You were trying to get out of having to leave on Saturday...weren't you?" he asked gently and I nodded sadly.

"Honey, you know I'm not going anywhere...that there isn't anyone out there that can take me from you, right?" he asked as he pushed my hair behind my ear and ran the backs of his fingers down my temple.

"I know," I nodded and he sighed.

"Then why are you working yourself up so much?" he asked and more tears sprang forth in my eyes, my chin quivering as he placed my phone on the floor and linked our fingers together.

"I just can't stand the thought of being apart from you," I admitted. "It hurts too damn much already and it hasn't even happened yet."

"Bella, we have our entire lives together to look forward to. You have to stop focusing on just the time we'll be apart or you're going to rip yourself apart," he said sadly as he squeezed my hands. "I love you with all my heart and seeing you like this kills me. Believe me if I could leave with you on Saturday, I would, but with everything that went down the week before the family arrived, I have to stick around to make sure all the new staff members we hired work out. Not to mention I still have to hire a few people capable of running the boats for all of the water activities."

"I know, I know...I just thought that maybe if I could push this tour thing back a bit I'd be able to stay here with you until we could leave together," I shrugged pathetically.

"Baby," he sighed as he sat down and pulled me into his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my temple while holding me close. "As much as I wish you didn't have to leave, I'd never want you to risk damaging your career by doing something like that. We all have obligations and responsibilities in life, Bella, and we can't just push them aside because they pose inconveniences from time to time."

"You know," I mused, breaking the stretch of silence between us as he rocked us back and forth on the bathroom floor, "When I was a kid, I always assumed being a writer would be the easiest job in the world. I had this asinine idea that I'd be able to just write whenever I felt like writing and turn it in when it was finished and get paid for it...that it'd never keep me away from home or my family, and that I'd never have to work hellish hours," I said and then snorted as I shook my head.

"Not as stress free as you once thought it'd be, huh?" he chuckled.

"I'm surprised I haven't gone gray yet," I scoffed and then yawned.

"Are you ready to go back to bed?" he asked softly as he caressed my arm and I nodded.

I moved off of his lap and snatched my phone up from the floor as I stood. Edward shut the bathroom light off as he exited behind me and I tossed the phone onto the nightstand before climbing back in bed and curling up with him. Though it was still dark out, dawn was beginning its approach, turning the sky a dark blue rather than pitch black. Exhaustion was creeping into every cell in my body, but still I was finding it impossible to succumb to sleep, even with Edward's soothing caresses upon my back.

"Close your eyes, baby," he murmured. "I'll be back by your side before you know it."

I lifted my head and kissed his lips with a soft sigh before laying my head back down and closing my eyes, "I know you will be...I love you."

"I love you, too, Bella. Get some sleep, baby," he said softly, placing a kiss atop my head.

I struggled to fall asleep, but eventually succumbed to fatigue just as the sky was showing sure signs of the breaking dawn. When I awoke again, the sun was blazing high in the sky and the house was utterly silent. Rolling over and stretching, I realized Edward's side of the bed was empty and, in all likeliness, had been for quite some time.

I grabbed my phone off the nightstand to check the time and noted that it was almost noon already. I slid out of the bed and shuffled my way into the bathroom. I smiled as I saw the folded piece of paper with a fresh picked flower sitting atop it on the sink counter. I couldn't resist smelling the fresh bloom before opening the letter to read it.

_My beautiful Isabella,_

_Good morning, Love. I hope you weren't too upset waking without me next to you, but you needed to sleep and I was fearful of my restlessness disrupting you. You looked so peaceful while you were dreaming...so very different from how you appeared earlier this morning. _

_I'm sorry, Bella. I wish there was something that could be done just as much as you do, but sweetheart, you are forever a piece of my heart...the biggest piece. As long as I have you in there, no matter how far either of us ever travel, you will always be with me. _

_Please let go of your worries and despair. I only wish for you to be happy every day of your life because your happiness is my happiness. _

_I love you, Bella, always and forever. Remember that and keep me with you everywhere you go, just as I will you._

_Forever Yours,_

_Edward_

_P.S.- In case you're wondering why the house is so quiet, we had to physically remove Emmett because he kept trying to sneak into our room with a can of shaving cream and a feather. I'm pretty sure you can figure out where he was going with that. Whenever you're ready to join us, we'll be down on the beach in back of the house. _

I headed down to join the others after I finished washing up and changing, and stopped in the kitchen for a quick snack and glass of what looked like fresh brewed iced tea. Somehow, whether it be from his heartfelt words or from his relaying of Emmett's antics, I found myself unconsciously smiling.

I still wasn't looking forward to my departure from the island, and in turn from Edward, but at some point while I'd slept, I think my mind had resolved itself to the fact that the circumstances just couldn't be changed. While it was true that I could write from anywhere, moving to the island wouldn't negate nor postpone my obligation to that damn tour I'd contracted myself too. Had I known a year ago when Angela and her bosses had cornered me into doing another one that it was not only possible to find love while on a tropical escape, but that it'd happen to me...I would have told them they'd have better chances of winning the lottery with no ticket than getting me to sign that contract.

But I hadn't known that any of what had transpired over the last month was possible. I hadn't known that Isle Esme even existed, and I hadn't had the damnedest clue that I'd ever find someone as wonderful and amazing as Edward...or that someone like him could ever love me in return.

But he does, and even though I wasn't sure how we'd manage to make it through what would seem like endless lonely nights, I knew that once we were together again, all of it would cease to matter anymore.

"Oh, you startled me," Esme chuckled suddenly and my head spun toward her. I hadn't even heard her come in, so lost in my thoughts I'd been while sitting at the kitchen island. "Good Morning, sweetheart. I wasn't expecting you up so soon."

"Morning, Esme," I smiled as I put down the forked pineapple I'd apparently been holding in front of my mouth absentmindedly.

"Are you feeling alright? Edward mentioned you weren't able to fall asleep until nearly seven this morning," she asked worriedly, looking me over as only a concerned mother could.

"I'm fine...I just got a little worked up over our vacation coming to an end is all," I admitted.

"Well," she smiled warmly as she cupped my cheeks, "Our door is always open for you any time you wish to visit."

She kissed my forehead and I snickered lightly to myself, feeling almost like a little child again. I wondered if I'd be the kind of mother Esme is, the kind that was able to calm all your fears and heal your pain with just a warm smile and tender gesture of affection.

"Thank you, Esme," I replied sincerely.

"It's my pleasure, dear, and I do hope you return soon," she grinned and then gasped as she glanced at the time on the oven. "Good Lord would you look at the time...well, as much as I'd love nothing more than to stay here and enjoy the rest of the day with all of you, I must get back to the resort. I only came back to grab some paperwork I'd forgotten and I've been gone for over two hours now."

"Is everything okay down there?" I asked worriedly, hoping nothing unexpected had come up again.

"Oh, everything's fine, honey," she smiled reassuringly. "We're just catching up on some things that have gone to the wayside a bit in our absence. We should be done in time to join you all for some drinks tonight at Mezcalito's...I know I'll need one after I get through our expense reports."

I chuckled right along with her as I rinsed my dishes off in the sink before placing them in the dishwasher. "I'll make sure Marcus has a fresh pitcher waiting just for you then."

"Better make it two," she laughed. "Enjoy your afternoon, Bella. The water is warm and the weather is beautiful. Don't let something as silly as a temporary farewell ruin it all for you while it's still here to be enjoyed."

I nodded as I hugged her goodbye and turned to head outside when she disappeared through the garage door.

My lingering smile was quickly accompanied by a chuckle as I made it down the last of the steps onto the beach and spotted Emmett and Jasper chasing Edward as he bolted toward the goal posts constructed of sticks in the sand. Alice and Rosalie were cheering loudly from their loungers that were strategically placed in the shade of a large beach umbrella. They'd even dragged a third one from the pool area down there for me while I'd still been asleep.

"It's _aliiiiive_!" Rosalie crowed in her best _'Frankenstein' _impersonation as soon as she spotted me. Of course I retorted with the ever so mature action of sticking my tongue out at her as Alice chuckled and I plopped myself down on the lounger they'd set out for me.

"Really girl...I was about to head upstairs to make sure you were still breathing! You were dead to the world this morning...didn't even flinch when Edward took Emmett down to the floor," she laughed. "The whole room shook but you didn't move an inch!"

"Leave her alone, Rose," Alice chided as she patted my hand.

"I was only kidding..._sheesh_. Everyone's in a _mood_ today," Rose scoffed as she shifted on her lounger.

"Yeah well...not all of us are ready for this Saturday to come yet," Ali responded, staring off toward the clear blue water gently lapping at the shore. I looked at her as her soft voice faded into a whisper and wrapped my hand around hers, squeezing it gently for her to look at me.

"You okay?" I mouthed to her and she nodded with a sad smile.

"I had a rough night last night, too," she said quietly.

"I'm going to get a drink...anyone want?" Rose asked as she stood from her chair. I shook my head, my attention still focused on Alice as she smiled up at her and said "No, I'm good, thanks."

"You don't want to leave Jasper either, do you?" I asked her when Rose walked away. She shook her head and sat up, turning toward me on her chair.

"I don't even know what my deal is though. I mean, I was fine with the whole being separated until his house in Portland was sold and everything before we could start our lives together in Seattle, but then in like the middle of last week...I just woke up one day and wasn't okay with it anymore," she confided.

"Have you talked to him about it?" I asked, hoping maybe at least one of us could have things turn out the way we wished for them to.

"No," she sighed.

"Ali...you should really talk it over with him. Maybe he's changed his mind too since all of this started and he just hasn't brought it up because you've seemed fine with the original plan," I told her, not liking that she was hiding what she was feeling from him.

If I had learned anything from the ups and downs of Edward's and my whirlwind relationship, it was that honest communication was crucial. Hiding things and downplaying your emotions only led to drama and turmoil.

"Yeah," she ghosted a smile, "I will...maybe tonight."

No sooner than she had finished speaking did Edward realize I'd joined them on the beach and came jogging over. He was covered in sweat and glorious as he bent down for a kiss, trying to not get it on my clothing...like I cared. I threaded my fingers into his saturated hair and pulled him in closer. He chuckled against my lips as he sat down between my legs and smiled brilliantly when he pulled back.

"Did you get enough sleep?" he asked, running his finger underneath my eye gently.

"Yeah...slept like the dead once I finally crashed out apparently," I laughed as I handed him the towel that had been hanging on the back of my chair.

"Where's Rosie?" Emmett asked as he plopped down in her chair.

"She went to get a drink a few minutes ago," Ali told him as she pointed up toward the house. He grinned and then the lazy butt pulled out his cell phone and proceeded to call her and ask her to bring him down a beer.

"Are you feelin' better after sleeping?" Edward asked quietly as he brought my hand up to his lips to kiss my knuckles. I just nodded, not really wanting to focus on the inevitable any longer and he sighed as he leaned in for another kiss.

"It'll all work out, baby, you'll see," he whispered in my ear, touching his lips to the corner of my jaw before pulling away.

We lounged around for a good part of the afternoon, sipping on the pitcher of lemonade and bucket of iced beers that Rosalie had brought back down from the house and reminiscing over some of the more memorable moments of our trip. I almost fell out of my chair laughing when Emmett impersonated Aro trying to windsurf for the first time...at eighty something years of age.

It was _hysterical_.

I couldn't even begin to imagine where the rest of us had been that we hadn't borne witness to the event as well. How someone had even managed to convince the man to try it was beyond me, but I wished with everything in me that I'd seen it firsthand because imagining the old man I'd met in Emmett's depiction was utterly _priceless_.

Where were the video camera enthusiasts when you really needed one?

Sadly, however, his enthusiastic imitation brought about an entire slew of them to follow...most of which were mockeries of none other than _me_. Yep, all of my little freak outs while snorkeling, zip lining, jumping off the cliff at the swimming hole, parasailing...you name it and they were reenacted...with quite a bit of exaggeration on their parts as well if you asked me.

"No...no way. I call _bullshit_ on that crap right now," Emmett laughed, retorting instantly to Jasper's claim that Demitri could hold his liquor better than he could and reaching for his cell as it began to vibrate and ring next to him on the lounger.

"He's right, Jas," Edward chuckled. "Demitri barely walked out of that club on his own two feet."

"Huh...that's weird...it's my neighbor," Emmett mumbled to himself, his brow furrowing as he flipped the phone open and lifted it to his ear. "Mrs. Eichelberger? Is everything okay?" he asked, waving his arm at the rest of us to get us to quiet down and then covering his other ear with his hand so he could hear.

"Guys shh," I hushed them, clapping a hand over Edward's mouth to stifle his laughter.

"She did _what_?!" Emmett suddenly shouted, shooting up from his seat on the end of the lounger and stalking a few feet away.

"Oh my God...is she okay? When did you find her?" he rambled, pacing up and down a short stretch of sand.

"What's going on?" Alice asked worriedly and we all shrugged, none of us having the slightest clue.

"Something's going on back home...he said it was his neighbor before he answered the call," I offered, hoping everything was okay.

"Do you have any idea how long she was there?" he asked, his voice sounding panicked...which worried me tremendously. For all I'd witnessed Emmett handle the entire time we'd been on the island, he'd always been cool as a cucumber. For him to be panicking...whatever it was...it was _bad_.

When he turned to start walking back toward us, I knew something was terribly wrong. His face was drawn with sadness and anger...an expression I'd never seen upon his face since the day I'd met him. And when he looked up at us, it was unmistakable. His eyes darted all around, almost as if he were looking for an escape as they began to tear up.

"Thank you, Mrs. Eichelberger. Can I talk to her for a minute, please?" he asked softly, and a moment later, the strong, fearless and joyful man I'd known for the last month, crumbled right before my eyes.

"Hi baby, it's Daddy, are you okay?" he asked in the sweetest tone I'd ever heard come from him as his chin trembled, knees gave way, bringing him down heavily on the lounger and forcing the first of what I was sure would be many tears from his eyes to trail down his face.

"Oh _shit_...it's Kylie," Edward spluttered as he shot up and started moving around and speaking in a frenzy. "Where's my phone? My phone, my phone..._shit_, baby...where is it?"

"Damnit...Mine's in the house," Jasper groaned, jumping off his chair and running for the steps up to the house.

"I've missed you too, lovebug," Emmett said softly, rubbing his curled fist against the center of his chest as I started shaking out our towels and the clothing I'd been wearing over my swimsuit.

It was tearing my heart out witnessing him speaking to his daughter for the first time in at five years. It tore my heart out and infuriated me that someone could ever be as cruel as to tear a child that he so obviously loved with all of his heart away from him.

"Here, _here_," I called out, grabbing Edward's phone from off the sand and holding it out to him as he began to tug harshly at his hair. He flipped it open and was holding it to his ear in an instant.

"Mom, are you still in the office at the resort?" he asked, pacing next to the chair. "I need you to book a one way ticket on the next flight out of Rio to Seattle....No, it's not for me, it's for Em. No...Mom, it's Kylie. Emmett's on the phone with her now. I don't know what's going on but she's at his neighbor's house," he rambled, shooting Emmett worried glances.

"Listen, honey. Uncle Edward's trying to get me a flight home right now. You're going to stay with Mrs. Eichelberger until I can get there, okay?" Em asked, another tear streaming down his face as Rosalie, Alice and I started gathering all of our things.

"Emmett, man...we gotta get movin' if we're gonna get you outta here tonight," Edward urged.

As he stood from the lounger, Rosalie shot Edward a pleading look, "Ask her to book two flights, please? I'll send her a check as soon I can get back to my house."

"Ma, make that two flights. Rose is going with him," he said instantly, shaking his head at her. "Don't worry about the money, hon."

"Kylie, pumpkin, _please _don't cry. I _swear_ I'll be home as soon as I possibly can," he pleaded into the phone as we ran up the steps to the house.

It was complete pandemonium once we all made it into Emmett and Rose's bedroom. Clothes were flying everywhere, Edward was trying to find Emmett's passport while simultaneously conferring with Esme on flight statuses, Emmett was pacing and frantically trying to soothe his daughter over the phone, Rose couldn't find her wallet...it was just a friggen disaster in the making.

And then, suddenly, it all came to a roaring halt.

Emmett's phone went flying into the wall, leaving a gaping divot, and his enraged voice shattered the atmosphere, causing the entire room to freeze, "Motherfucking _bitch_!!"

"Whoa!" Edward wailed, his phone dropping to the dresser as he lunged for Emmett who looked to be ready to tear the entire room apart. "Settle down, bro...settle down," he urged him, leading him backwards to sit on the bed before squatting in front of him.

"How? Why would she _do that _to her?" Emmett sobbed, his shoulders sagging with his anguish. Rose quickly made her way to the bed and sat next to him, wrapping her long arms around his massive frame and holding him tight.

I hadn't noticed until that minute that she was crying as well. It was obvious in that moment that while Alice and I had only minimal knowledge of this child and his pain from the loss of her in his life, Rosalie had been made fully aware of even the darkest days of his past and the agony he'd suffered from them.

"Do what, Em? What happened to Kylie?" Edward asked semi-calmly.

"Lauren fucking left her on my doorstep...just _left__her__there_ in the goddamn pouring rain. My neighbor found her there when she returned home from her daughter's house...thinks she'd been out there for at least an hour or two," he responded, his hand pressed to his face making his words sound muffled.

"_Jesus Christ_...is she okay?" Edward asked, visibly fighting back his anger.

"Yeah...Mrs. Eichelberger says she seems to be alright, just a little chilled from being soaking wet...what the hell was she _thinking_?" he growled at the end.

"I don't know, bro...I don't have the slightest idea, but you need to pull yourself together. If she's safe and unharmed, the only thing you need to concentrate on right now is getting home to her," he encouraged. "Why don't you go take a shower. We'll finish packing and get your tickets and everything in order. It'll be alright, Em...you okay, Rose?" he asked, reaching out and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah...I'm okay," she sniffed. "C'mon, honey. Let's get cleaned up so we can get out of here."

Edward helped her heave Emmett off the bed and they disappeared into the bathroom together. I had no idea what to say or do, having been frozen from the moment Em's phone collided with the wall, half folded t-shirt still in my hands.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Ali and I voiced simultaneously. Edward sighed as he dragged a hand through his hair and nodded.

"Yeah...he'll be fine once he sees her with his own two eyes," he replied and then bent down to pick Em's phone up off the floor.

"What was that noise?" Jasper asked, his brows furrowed as he looked around the room. I had no idea what he was talking about as I hadn't heard a thing aside from the shower turning on.

"Oh shit...Esme," Edward blurted, eyes wide as he darted for his phone that he'd dropped on the dresser. "Ma...sorry...no everything's fine..."

"Ali...help me finish folding and packing this?" I asked, sparking back into motion even though my brain seemed to be lagging at least ten minutes behind.

By the time Edward had gotten off the phone with Esme, Ali, Jasper and I had just about finished packing anything important into three carry on bags. We'd decided that they'd be able to get out of SEATAC quicker if they didn't have to wait for their luggage and agreed that we'd just pack the rest and bring it with us when we left on Saturday. The only thing that was missing was Em's passport...and after tearing the room apart, we were at a loss as to where it could be.

"Emmett! Where's your damn passport?" Jasper hollered at the bathroom door.

"Mom's fire safe in their bedroom closet!" he hollered back and Edward darted out of the room after a quick, "I'll go grab it, bring their stuff downstairs. Carlisle should be here any minute with the truck."

Within minutes of Carlisle's arrival we were bolting out the door. Edward had gotten confirmation for their tickets aboard the six forty five flight out of Rio, and we were in a time crunch to get them there in time. It was already ten after four by the time Rose and Em hugged Ali and Jasper goodbye and we boarded the boat and the airport was still a decent two hours away. If we managed to get them there in time, they'd have two connecting flights, one in Atlanta and one in Newark before landing in Seattle just after eleven am PST. It had more connections, but managed to get them home at least three hours earlier than any of the other flights Esme could find.

"Stop fretting, Em. I'll get you there in time," Edward tried to calm him as we pulled away from the garage on the mainland in Carlisle's Hummer. Emmett was getting that frantic look in his eyes again, just like the one he'd had back on the island when he'd gotten the call from his neighbor.

"I just can't believe this is happening," he sighed. "I mean, she fought me for an entire year on visitation and _now_, after five friggen years, she just leaves her on my doorstep without even checking to see if I'm home? I'm not even in the same country for shit's sake! How'd she even know it was the right address if I just bought that house two years ago? Did she even think about what she was doing for _five__goddamn minutes_?"

"Emmett, we've all known since the beginning of the divorce that Kylie would have been better off with you. That's why we all helped you fight so hard to keep her, and we'll fight for her again. You may not have had a leg to stand on before after the paternity tests, but you'll have a solid case after this. Use what Lauren did to keep Kylie where she belongs this time...with us," Edward told him, his gaze shifting from the road to the rearview mirror repeatedly.

"You think I won't?" Em scoffed. "She'll be lucky if her ass isn't in _jail_ after I get a hold of her."

I got lost in my own little world, staring out the window at the world flying past us as their conversation continued. I couldn't even begin to wrap my mind around the enormity of it all. He'd managed to survive losing her once...I was terrified of what would happen if he lost her again. What it would do to him _and_ to Kylie.

And then there was Rose. This would flip her entire world on its' axis...would she be able to handle everything they'd endure together as he fought to keep the little girl, that regardless of her true parentage, was his daughter in his heart? Would Kylie accept her as part of Emmett's life, and if not in the beginning, would Em and Rose's relationship survive the struggle of trying to make it work? I had not a doubt in my mind that Rosalie had enough room in her heart for both of them...I just worried if they'd have enough room in theirs for her and whether or not the obstacles that may lay ahead of them would prove to be too much for either she or Emmett to withstand.

I just hoped the three of them would make it through everything, and more than that, that they'd make it through together...as a family.

I was brought out of my thoughts by Edward taking a hold of my hand and linking our fingers together with a gentle squeeze. I turned my head from the window and gave him a small smile.

"You okay? You're kinda quiet over there," he commented softly, leaning sideways toward me. I shifted so I could lean against him and rested my head against his shoulder.

"Yeah," I sighed with a nod, "I'm just worried for them."

"Baby, look behind you," he whispered and I did.

They were turned toward each other in their seats, one of her hands in both of his and her other one running through his hair as she spoke softly, "I'm not going anywhere, Em. No matter what happens, I'll be right by your side..."

"They'll be fine, love," he whispered, caressing the back of my hand with his thumb.

"I hope so," I whispered back, tilting my head up to kiss his cheek.

Forty minutes later we arrived at the airport. It was ten to six, leaving them with almost an hour to get through security and customs before being able to get to their departing gate. Edward parked so we could accompany them inside, just in case there were any issues while checking in, and we made a mad dash inside to the ticket counters.

While we stood in line, Emmett called Kylie at his neighbor's house and told her that he was at the airport and would be on his way home soon. It was heart wrenching to hear how desperately he missed her in his loving and worried tones and words.

"Call me or text me when you land so we know you made it safely," I said as I turned toward Rosalie. She nodded and hugged me fiercely.

"What am I gonna do if he loses her again, Bella?" she whispered in my ear, still holding me tight. "He barely got through it the first time...he can't...he won't be able to handle it again."

"We'll just all have to make sure that doesn't happen, Rose. You two aren't alone in this. You know the whole family, Ali and I included, will be standing behind both of you," I responded wholeheartedly.

Once they'd been checked in for their flights, we walked them toward the security area and Emmett turned toward us.

"Baby girl...," he trailed off, sighing as he lifted me up in his massive arms when I'd latched my arms around his neck. "You better come by and meet your niece as soon as you land Saturday."

"You know I will, Em. It'll be my first stop," I replied, tearing up as he kissed my cheek and set me down. "Love you, little one."

"Love you, too, Emmett," I sniffed as he turned toward Edward who was just releasing Rosalie. Whatever he'd said to her had her glassy eyed and on the verge of tears as she smiled softly at him and nodded.

"He's definitely a keeper, Bells," she whispered as she hugged me one last time. "I'll call and let you guys know how things go as soon as I can."

I nodded into her shoulder and let her go, knowing they were already pressed for time as it was. Edward and I stood together, watching them make their way through the checkpoint and waved one last time before they disappeared down the corridor.

"What'd you say to her back there?" I asked curiously as we strolled back toward where Edward had parked, arms around each other's waists.

"Only what she needed to hear...that Kylie will love her just as much as we all do and thanked her for going with my brother, because he's gonna need someone as strong and loving as she is to make it through all of this again," he answered and I could do nothing but smile up at him as my eyes began to tear.

"That was sweet of you," I told him as I leaned up for a kiss.

"Nothing but the truth, love. He couldn't have found anyone better for him than her, and I'm grateful they found each other when they did. Same with Jasper and Ali and you and I," he responded as we reached the truck.

"How are you so sure that Kylie will love her so easily?" I asked curiously. There hadn't been even the slightest doubt in his tone when he'd told me what he'd said to her.

"Because she may not be biologically his...but that little girl is _all_ Emmett. You'll see what I mean when you meet her. Five years may have passed since we've seen her last, but from what his end of that phone call sounded like...she's still her daddy's little girl," he smiled wistfully.

As we pulled away and I watched the airport disappear in the side mirror, I couldn't help but think about how we'd be enduring yet another round of goodbyes in just a few more days...but the thought was no longer filled with despair.

I had just witnessed a man who'd managed to make it through five long years of being separated from someone he loved with all of his heart and soul take his first steps toward a long overdue reunion. In those five years, he'd not been able to see or even speak to Kylie that I was aware of. And with knowing that the tremendous amount of agony I'd witnessed overcome him within the last few hours was just the _faintest_ glimpse into how horrifically he'd suffered during that time and yet still managed to survive...I became absolutely certain of one thing.

Edward and I, and even Alice and Jasper would make it through whatever lay ahead of us with barely a scratch upon our hearts.

Saturday may bring us sadness and the months following may be fraught with loneliness and longing...but _nothing _during those few months apart would ever, or _could_ ever compare to what Emmett had already been through...

And I prayed with everything in me he would never have to go through again.

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**Just so you all know, the next update is the official end of the TOF story line. There WILL be a series of epilogues to follow though, and by series I mean somewhere between 3-5. I haven't quite nailed it all down yet. Don't forget to review! I've missed you all so much! ~Jersey~**


	37. Hello, Goodbye

**A/N: Wow...I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be saying that we've reached the end of this story...but here I am saying it. This chapter is the last of the actual ToF storyline. Worry not though my lovelies, we have a few more chaps of epilogues still to come. Enjoy the chapter!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. All Twilight related material belongs solely to SMeyer. Everything else relating specifically to ToF belongs to me ^_^

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Hello, Goodbye

EPOV

Supposedly in theory, there's a place between Heaven and Hell...Purgatory. Somewhere around four am Saturday morning, I'd awoken to find myself there. In my own personal Purgatory...lost somewhere between Heaven and Hell.

Heaven was still having Bella in my arms and asleep, her breaths deep and steady and body warm and soft. Hell was knowing that in just a few short hours, I'd be standing on a dock on the mainland, watching the limo that she would be inside drive farther and farther away from me until I could no longer see it...or her.

It was actually the dream of watching it happen that had awoken me prematurely and caused me to wrap myself around her tightly when I realized she was still beside me. She hadn't yet left.

Even in the darkness of the bedroom I could see her packed suitcases stacked in the corner, like an ominous black shadow lurking and taunting me with its inevitable meaning. She was leaving. The day had actually come, sneaking up on us in its rapid stealth after our last few days together had all but passed in the blink of an eye.

Truthfully, there hadn't been much of anything going on around us over the last few days aside from Bella and I making love, packing, making love again, some more packing of Bella's and Rosalie and Emmett's remaining belongings, and more love making. Somewhere between those two activities that we partook in excessively, we _did_ somehow manage to spend a few hours with everyone else.

The only thing that really stood out from the past few days, aside from our love making of course, was the phone call we got early Thursday morning from Rosalie. And when I say early, I mean it had only been a few minutes past three am. The house phone blaring through the dark house at that hour had woken _everyone_ up, but I was certain that even though there were three different cordless phones, each set on speaker phone in three different bedrooms with six sets of drowsy and half awake ears listening to the wide awake voices on the other end...we had all slept a lot more soundly that night after the call.

Emmett and Kylie had finally been reunited, she was perfectly fine and unharmed, and within an hour of bringing her home, Emmett had already contacted his lawyer to get the ball rolling on pressing charges on Lauren and obtaining full custody of Kylie. After finally hearing Kylie's sweet voice and four of us responding with equally tear filled voices, as well as assuring Emmett and Rosalie that if they needed anything, all they had to do was ask, the six of us said goodnight and ended the call.

I don't think I'd ever made love to Bella as passionately and with as much emotion as I did that dark early morning with only the sounds of the tide rolling ashore eclipsing the sounds of our whispered breaths, words, and moans.

As I curled myself around her even closer and tried to savor as much of the feeling of just holding her as I could, I almost had to laugh at myself. I specifically remembered there being a time when I'd felt I had so much time with her on the island left to look forward to that it seemed it'd never end. Almost as if she'd never have to leave.

It hadn't lasted long at all in its temporary comforts, but just the idea that I'd even entertained the thought for a single second had been beyond naive of me, and frankly, had been completely ludicrous to have held onto for even _any_ momentary length of time.

As yet another hour passed by us and I laid there with her wrapped tightly in my arms, unable to fall back asleep despite my efforts to, I began wishing that the extra suitcases stacked with Bella's were mine and not Rosalie's. I would have given anything to be able to go with her, to just up and leave in a moment's notice so that we'd never have to say goodbye...but I couldn't. After all Carlisle and Esme had done for me over the years, I couldn't allow myself to leave them high and dry like that. The next two months would be incredibly busy at the resort, and we still hadn't found anyone to hire to run the boats. I didn't even know how I was going to be able to do it on my own with the amount of guests we had arriving during the following week.

I'd been counting on still having Jasper with me, and together we would have been able to handle it until we could find some replacements...but Thursday night he'd informed us that he too would be leaving on Saturday. He'd decided that he didn't want to be separated from Alice any longer than necessary, so he booked a flight home to Portland on the same day the girls would be flying home to Seattle. His plan was to get everything situated back home and be back with Ali in Seattle within a week or two at most.

It put me in a really shitty situation, but I couldn't blame him in the least. If it hadn't been for Mike and Eric quitting, and our firing that piece of shit Tyler, I wouldn't have second-guessed leaving with Bella for even a moment.

"I swear, baby...I'll come back to you the very moment I can get away from here," I breathed against her shoulder, placing a feather light kiss upon her soft skin.

I was left with the memories of the past month running through my mind and sound of her deep and steady breathing for another three hours until she began to stir. It had been an hour since the sun had fully risen, casting her nude beauty in its golden glow and driving me insane with the temptation to wake her.

Somehow, don't ask me how because I'll never know, I managed to suppress my urges until she'd fully awoken, stretching and rolling over to face me sleepily.

"Tell the sun to go away...I want it to stay Friday forever," she mumbled into my chest, sighing as she wrapped her arm around me and slid her thigh between mine.

"I wish I could, love," I whispered sadly as I nuzzled the top of her head.

"Mm," she hummed as she pressed a kiss to my bare chest and breathed in deeply. "How long have you been awake?"

"A few hours," I admitted, running my hand up and down her back in long strokes. She tilted her head up to gaze at me and gently ran her finger under my eyes, which I was fairly certain were at least puffy from the minimal amount of sleep I'd gotten.

"Are you still stressed out over how you're gonna run all the activities by yourself?" she asked, concern etched across her features.

"A bit," I nodded and ducked my head down for a quick kiss. "It'll be alright though. I might be able to get Garrett or Jason to give me a hand when they're available."

"I'm worried that you're gonna overwork yourself again like you did the week everything blew up at the resort," she frowned up at me as she caressed my cheek.

"Love, don't worry about me. It's not like what I'll be doing can be considered physical labor by any means. The hardest thing I'll be enduring over the next few weeks will be missing you," I responded truthfully.

"I'll be missing you, too," she murmured, trailing her lips along my jaw.

I groaned as her fingers twisted in my hair and her lips caught the lobe of my ear. My hips bucked toward her reflexively, desperately seeking friction as her lips trailed back across my jaw toward my lips. When her lips came to the corner of my own, I turned my head and captured them greedily, rolling us so she was on her back. My arms hooked under her shoulders as her arms wrapped around my neck and her legs shifted, allowing me to settle between her thighs.

I needed her. I needed her every moment of every day, and with each passing day, that need only ever increased.

My hips rocked against her slowly, the length of my cock sliding up and down her slick sex as our tongues tangled and twined languorously around each other. I had no desire to rush, wanting to commit each sensation to memory, and even as I slid into her and became engulfed by her wet heat, I kept my movements slow and sensual.

We had no use for words. Everything we'd needed to say to one another had been said over the past few days, and anything left to say could be felt in every touch of our lips and caress of our hands.

"Roll," Bella breathed breathlessly as my lips and tongue trailed down the curve of her neck. I instantly complied, hugging her tightly to me as I rolled onto my back, bringing her on top of me.

A loud moan escaped my lips as she sat up, her knees and calves clinging to my sides as her hands pressed down on my lower abdomen lightly. The sensation of sliding deeper within her as she rocked above me, coupled with the way her arms were pushing her breasts together and forming the most delicious cleavage I'd ever seen, was almost too much to bear.

My hands were everywhere on her delicate skin, caressing reverently with the slightest of pressure as I traced her collarbones, the swell of her breasts, her nipples.

"_God_," she whimpered, her head falling back slightly for a moment before locking her eyes with mine, "I love the way you touch me."

I brought my hand up to cradle the back of her neck and gently pulled her down to me, wrapping my arms around her as I kissed my way across her jaw and whispered to her, "Good...because I love touching you."

Her breath stuttered as it escaped her, fanning my cheek as she lifted her head to press her lips to my own. My hands took purchase on the swells of her hips, pushing her downward gently as I rocked into her from beneath. She felt so damn good I didn't think I'd ever be able to come up with the words to describe it.

Bella tore her lips away from mine in a breathless cry of pleasure as she turned her hips while sinking back down on me, changing the angle just slightly and causing the head of my cock to hit a new spot inside of her. Her walls clenched around me briefly and I knew right then that she was close..._really _close.

"That's it, love," I murmured softly, rocking harder into her. "Let me feel you."

"Not without you," she panted, shaking her head. "I wanna come with you."

"Fuck, baby," I moaned as her lips latched onto my neck and she sucked hard.

I pushed us up and leaned her back as she wrapped her legs behind me and I kissed my way up her stomach. She tasted sweet and just slightly salty from the sheen of sweat on her skin. She continued grinding against me, leaning back on her arms as I kissed and licked every inch of skin I could find. She was still holding back her orgasm, I could feel it in the way her muscles fluttered around me deep inside her when I captured her nipple between my lips and grazed it with my teeth, and I could hear it in the tremble of her whimpering moans. She wasn't going to be able to hold it back for much longer and neither was I, so I pulled her into my chest, wrapping one arm around her back to hold her to me and guiding her hips with my other hand.

She pressed her forehead to mine, looking deep into my eyes as our breaths came in harsh bursts.

"Let go, honey...come with me," I panted, gripping her hip tightly and pushing her down hard as I felt my release approaching rapidly.

"I love you," she breathed, capturing my lips and moaning into my mouth as she began to clench and spasm around me, triggering my own orgasm and groans as I spilled myself into her in long hot spurts.

"I love you, too, Bella...forever, baby," I vowed, holding her tightly as we came down from our Earth shattering bliss together.

~*~

Five and a half hours later, after having a late lunch with my family for them to say goodbye, I found myself on the end of the dock on the mainland hugging Alice goodbye as the limo driver loaded up the last of their luggage. She'd already parted with Jasper, who was still finishing his packing and getting ready for his own flight back at the house.

"I'll miss you," she sighed as she wrapped her tiny arms around my neck. "If I never said it before, thank you, Edward. Thank you for making Bella so happy."

"It's me who should be thanking you and Rosalie for bringing her into my life. I'll miss you too, Ali...take good care of my future wife for me until I can get up there, okay?" I responded softly.

She smiled up at me and nodded when I'd lowered her back down to the ground, "We always do."

"I'll wait for you in the car, Bells," she said softly as she turned to walk away. She waved one last time as she looked behind her and I waved back, sincerely saddened to see her go. How the three of us had gotten so lucky as to meet three such incredible women was something I'd never comprehend.

"Come here, love," I sighed as her eyes began to well up with unshed tears. I pulled her into my arms and rocked her back and forth as she clung to me tightly, fighting back her emotions.

"It'll be alright, Bella. I'll be back in the states and by your side before you know it," I reassured her.

"I know," she sniffed.

"No more tears, baby...just think forward to all the things we'll do together once I get up there," I told her, trying to be encouraging even though I felt as if I'd crumble with the intensity of my own heartache at seeing her leave.

"Like what?" she pouted petulantly, and just the sight of it brought a slight smile to my face.

"Like sight seeing...we can run around cities with cameras. Make silly poses in front of statues and landmarks and stuff. Hey here's one...you can laugh when your father pulls a shotgun out on me when we tell him we're engaged...how about that?" I joked...well kind of. I was actually pretty terrified that my fear would indeed become a reality when we dropped that bomb on him together.

"He'd never do that," she scoffed and then simpered up at me. "It'd be his sidearm...not a shotgun."

"Thanks," I chuckled sarcastically. "Real comforting there, baby."

"Miss," the driver called out, "We need to be leaving for you to catch your flight."

I held out my hand and nodded, calling back to him that she was coming before looking back down at her.

"Soon, love...I promise," I told her as I ducked my head down to kiss her goodbye.

"I'm holding you to that promise," she whispered, hugging me tightly as I lifted her off the ground.

"I love you, Bella. Call me as soon as you land so I know you made it safely. I don't care what time it is here, okay?" I asked her and then kissed her once more.

"I love you too, and I will...I promise," she nodded.

Her lips met mine one last time and it took everything in me to let her go. The very second she began backing away from me, my heart began constricting painfully. When she made it to the open door of the limo, with the driver waiting to shut it behind her, I pointed to my eye, my heart, and then at her. She smiled sadly, and even from where I stood down the dock, I could see the trembling of her lips and chin as she motioned it back to me before slipping into the car where I could no longer see her.

There was no way to describe how I felt as the limo began to pull away with my entire world inside of it, and I could do nothing but stare after it. For as much as I'd told her not to cry, my own eyes welled with tears as the limo disappeared from sight and left me standing, a lone man on a dock in a world absent of the sounds and visions of the one he loved.

I had no desire to head back to the island right away, and instead, found myself sitting on the edge of the dock, staring out at the vast waters before me. For years the sights and sounds that accompanied that specific spot had brought me comfort and a sense of peace...but at that moment, I could find none. I just felt vacant, as if every part of my being had truly left right along with Bella.

I had no idea how long I'd sat there just staring absentmindedly out over the waters, but eventually, I'd managed to lift myself up and get back in the boat to head back to the island. By the time I had made it back to the house, it was just after five thirty, and after grabbing a beer from the fridge, I started trudging up to my room. When I made it to the second landing, Jasper was coming out of his room, dragging his luggage behind him.

"All packed?" I asked and then brought the bottle up to my lips to take a long pull.

"Yeah...Edward, man," he sighed, frowning. "Why didn't you just go with her? Look at you. You're miserable already and she's only been gone what? Two hours?"

"You know why, Jas," I grumbled, shaking my head as I moved toward the stairs to the third floor.

"You're loyal to a fault sometimes, Edward," he spoke again, sounding disappointed and I paused on the stairs and turned toward him.

"I know you don't get it, because you've never really _needed_ anything your entire damn life, but when I needed them after my parents passed, they didn't just bail on me. What kind of person would I be if I did that shit to them?" I bristled in response.

"Jesus Christ, Edward. Esme and Carlisle just want you to be _happy_, not feel like you owe them something. Don't you see? That's all they've _ever _wanted for you and it's killed them to see you so damn unhappy for half your life. Do you really think they'd be upset if, for once in your miserable life, you did something to make yourself happy instead of trying to appease someone else?" he argued heatedly.

"No, I know they wouldn't be upset, but it wouldn't make me feel any less of a cad for not being there for them the way they've always been there for me," I reasoned, wishing he could just friggen understand where I was coming from.

"Loyal to a fault...like I said," he scoffed, shaking his head as he started making his way down the stairs.

I suppressed a growl of frustration and trudged the rest of the way up the stairs, chugging down the rest of my beer and tossing the empty bottle in the bathroom trash when I made it into my room. Coming out of the bathroom, I kicked my shoes off and collapsed on the bed, engulfing myself in a cloud of Bella's scent that was still fresh on the bedding.

My head was pounding, my chest was hurting, and I wanted nothing more than to just pass the hell out so I wouldn't stare at the clock until it reached the time when her flight would be taking off.

I'd very nearly dozed off with my arms crossed over my face when a light rap sounded at my door. I sighed, hoping it wasn't Jasper coming to argue with me again before telling whoever it was that the door was open.

"Edward?" Esme's warm voice flowed into the room as the door opened.

"Yeah?" I asked, not bothering to remove my arms from my face.

The room was so silent that I could hear her feet padding across the carpet before the bed sank down next to me as she sat.

"Honey, I hate seeing you like this," she started and I sighed again as I lowered my arms.

"I'm fine, Ma," I told her as I stared at the ceiling.

"No you're not. It was written all over your face when you returned from dropping them off. I haven't seen you look as miserable as you did when you were walking through the lobby in quite some time. If being apart from her hurts you so much, why didn't you go with her?" she asked and I nearly groaned.

"Ma, I couldn't go," I grumbled as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "You and Pop need me at the resort until we can find some more help."

"Oh, _Edward_," she voiced sadly, shaking her head and rubbing her fingers against her forehead before turning on the bed to face me. "Sweetheart, I love you, and I'm thankful for everything you've done for us over the years...but you're fired."

"_What_?" I almost laughed. "You can't fire me...I don't even get paid!"

"All the more reason that you shouldn't be doing what you're doing!" she exclaimed adamantly. "I'd been under the impression that you didn't go with her because she'd be leaving on her tour in just a few weeks, but if you're telling me that you chose to stay because we need help, then I'm telling you that you're fired."

"But what are you gonna do about all the water activities and the zip lining tours and stuff?" I argued.

"We'll figure it out. Edward, the resort is _our_ responsibility not yours, honey, and I'll be _damned_ if we ever allow it to interfere with your happiness," she nearly scolded.

My eyes drifted toward the clock on the nightstand, glaring the time of six ten pm at me, "So you're saying you don't care if I leave..."

"No, I'm saying get off your rear end and pack because you _are _leaving and we're not taking no for an answer," she laughed lightly as she stood from the bed.

"_Shit_...shit, shit, shit," I muttered, throwing myself off the bed and bolting for the closet. If I raced I might _just_ be able to catch her flight.

"I'll call Carlisle and tell him to be waiting for you both at the dock," she smiled as I threw a duffle bag onto the bed.

"Ma, wait," I stopped her and pulled her into my arms. "Thank you."

"I just wish one of you would have told us why you were staying sooner. It would have saved both of you a tremendous amount of heartache," she said softly and then kissed my temple.

My room positively looked like it had been ransacked with the way I'd haphazardly thrown stuff around trying to cram as much crap as I could into the one bag. I only cared enough to grab whatever I'd really need until Esme and Carlisle could get around to shipping the rest of my belongings to Seattle as she said they would before throwing the bag strap over my shoulder and running down the stairs. I'd almost made it to the garage door, where Jasper was grinning at me as if watching me run around was the most amusing thing in the world, before I dropped my bag with a groan and had to go running back up the stairs for my passport and any other documents I might need.

In those moments, I would have sworn that if my head wasn't attached to my body, I would have left it behind completely.

"Got everything this time?" Jasper laughed as I came back down the stairs, completely winded.

"I think so..." I mumbled.

"Passport?" he asked and I held it up, just as I did with almost every question following. "License? Birth Certificate? Social Security card? Cell phone? Charger?"

"Jesus Christ! I got it, let's go already!" I yelled as he just continued to laugh. "As long as I have what I need to get my ass on the plane I don't care what I leave behind."

After hugging Esme goodbye, and telling her I loved her, we hopped in the truck she'd come home in and sped our way toward the resort. Just as she'd said, Carlisle was waiting in the boat by the dock for us.

"Do you think we'll make it in time?" I all but yelled as we raced across the water, Carlisle at the helm.

He looked at his watch and grimaced slightly, "It'll be close!"

"Edward, even if you miss it, just catch the next flight out. You'll probably still get there the same day," Jasper shouted to me.

I ran a hand through my hair nervously as my leg bounced up and down in anticipation. The only thought really running through my head at the time was '_This is really happening...I'm really doing this._'

When we made it to shore, Jasper and I quickly tied off the boat before the three of us started running down the dock toward our garage. I didn't even attempt to take the keys from Carlisle, knowing I was far to anxious to get behind the wheel. I didn't need to ruin whatever slim chance I had of getting there in time by getting us into a wreck, so instead, I threw my crap into the backseat of the Hummer and hopped in.

I lost count of how many times I looked at the clock on the dash, or my watch and groaned, knowing time was running out.

"Did you choose to sit in the backseat so you could be a backseat driver, son?" Carlisle chuckled, mirth shining brightly in his eyes as he looked at me in the rearview mirror.

"I haven't said anything!" I wailed and he and Jasper just laughed.

"You haven't needed to...your grumbling and groaning is enough. _Relax_. If you keep going on like that they'll never let you past security," he joked.

"I dunno, Uncle C...you might wanna stick around just in case he gets arrested for suspicious behavior," Jasper joined in.

"_Har_, _har_, _har_," I mocked dryly. "Real funny asswipe."

"Nah...I'll tell ya what _is _funny though...Emmett owes me a hundred bucks," Jasper grinned as he turned in his seat to look at me.

"What?" I asked confusedly.

"We made a bet two weeks ago on how long you'd last on the island after Bella left," he chuckled. "He gave it a week at most...I gave it a day."

"You conniving _shit_!" I laughed as I punched his shoulder. "All that crap in the stairwell was you trying to sway the odds in your favor!"

"Can you blame me?" he shrugged.

"_Unbelievable_. Do you hear this Pops? Bunch of devious scoundrels in this family," I scoffed incredulously.

"Don't look at me...if you'd have made it to two weeks I would have won the hundred bucks," he laughed and I swear I fish gaped...all out jaw to the floor as the two of them laughed hysterically in the front seat while Carlisle fished out his wallet and tossed a crisp hundred to Jasper.

"You guys are un-_freakin_-real," I snorted, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Oh come on," Carlisle groaned dramatically. "Any man as deeply in love with a woman as the three of you are with yours wouldn't last more than two weeks apart from them. Ask Esme...I've never been able to make it longer than that through all of our years together...come to think of it..." he trailed off grinning at no one other than himself, "I don't think I ever even made it the full two weeks."

The remainder of the car ride was filled with humorous banter back and forth between the three of us, which admittedly, helped subdue a large portion of my anxiety. When Carlisle pulled up in front of the terminal, Jasper and I hopped out and Carlisle met us around back so Jasper could grab his luggage.

"Come back and visit soon, and make sure you call when you arrive so we know you all made it safely," Carlisle said as he hugged me and clapped me on the back.

"Thank you...for everything. I love you both...I couldn't have asked for better parents," I said sincerely as he gripped the back of my neck.

"Everything we've ever done was because we love you. Seeing you happy is repayment enough," he said, giving my neck one final squeeze before letting go.

"Uncle C...it's been real, hopefully we can do it again next year for the whole summer," Jasper chuckled, shaking his hand as they gave each other a one armed hug.

"Edward...for the love of God..._go_!" Carlisle laughed as he spotted me bouncing from foot to foot waiting for them to finish up their goodbyes.

"Hell...don't gotta tell me twice," I mumbled to myself as I turned and booked it for the doors, leaving them laughing behind me.

As I waited on line to get to the ticket counter, I felt like I was ready to burst out of my skin. I wanted nothing more than to just push my way to the front of the line, and every second that passed that urge got stronger.

When I finally made it to the counter, I about passed out when the woman told me the flight was already boarding and I'd never make it on time.

"Are there any seats left aboard the eleven thirty five to Atlanta?" Jasper asked calmly as I pinched the bridge of my nose.

The woman clicked away on her keyboard for a minute or two and then smiled as she told us that there were three remaining seats left, two economy and one first class.

"We'll take the first class seat, please," Jasper smiled at her as I pulled out my credit card and he turned toward me.

"When we get into Atlanta, you can probably get a nonstop flight straight to Seattle within a few hours," he said and I nodded with a sigh.

"Let's just hope I don't get stuck on standby for days," I commented as the woman took my passport and credit card to complete my transaction.

"Worst case scenario, you fly with me to Portland and drive up to Seattle from there. I can fly in after I get the house on the market and tie up any loose ends there," he shrugged easily. "Oh, and check your bag plane-side so you don't have to retrieve it from baggage claim and go back through security again."

I nodded and stepped to the side after the attendant handed me my boarding pass and belongings, and waited as he checked in for our flight.

It had been about a year and a half at least since I'd last flown into the states...and I'd completely forgotten how making your way through security and customs made you feel like you were being _herded _for Christ's sake. Thankfully, I managed to avoid being person number umpteen in the line who was randomly selected for a bag search. Jasper won that prize and I stood off to the side snickering as they took all of his belongings out of his carry on and analyzed them, much to his annoyance because when they were finished he had to pack everything _just so _again.

And everyone in our family always claimed I was the anal retentive one. If they'd opened my bag, it probably would have appeared to them like a bomb had gone off in there.

"Shut up, dickwad. I like being able to find what I'm looking for in there without having to search for it," he grumbled.

"Whatever you say, man," I chuckled, pulling the strap of my bag over my head as we headed for our departure gate.

After tossing my bag on the floor at my feet and sinking down into an uncomfortable chair to wait the almost three hours until our flight boarded, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and my brow furrowed as it blinked at me. I hadn't even felt it vibrate or heard it ring, but sure enough, there was a text message from Bella when I opened it.

Boarding now. Just wanted to tell you I love you and miss you already. Talk to you soon XOXO - B

I smiled as my thumb ran over her words on the screen and hit the button to compose a message back to her knowing she'd probably check her phone when she landed in Houston in the morning.

Hope you had a good flight. I miss you and love you too. See you soon...promise. -E

I slipped my phone back in my pocket and slid further down in my seat, settling in for the wait as Jasper played poker on his cell. By the time one out of the three hours had passed, I was beyond uncomfortable and exhausted, so I got up to walk around a bit.

"Hey man...I'm gonna go grab something to drink. You want anything?" I asked as I stretched.

"Yeah, bring me back an iced tea or something, thanks," he replied with a nod, focused on his game.

Bored out of my mind and restless as I perused the tiny convenience shop, I pulled my phone back out and called Emmett, figuring I might as well ask him to pick me up from the airport so I could surprise Bella whenever I managed to make it into Seattle.

"Uncle Edward!" Kylie's voice squealed into the phone after it rang a handful of times, making me laugh.

"Hey sugarplum," I chuckled. "How'd you know it was me?"

"Daddy told me when we looked at the number," she answered, and I could hear the smile in her sweet little voice. Man I'd missed that little girl. I couldn't wait to see her again.

"Have you been having fun with Daddy and Rosalie?" I asked as I pulled two bottles of iced tea out of a cooler.

"Uh huh...we're painting my new room today. Rosalie bought me all new furniture and stuff for my room because Daddy only had my baby stuff and I can't fit in it anymore," she said excitedly.

"That was nice of her, huh?" I replied, a little choked up knowing Em had held onto those few pieces of her for so long.

"Yeah...I like her. A lot. She let me come with her to her work when Daddy had to go somewhere yesterday. She taught me how to change a tire...it was pretty cool," she laughed, and I had to as well.

"I'm glad you like her, sweet pea. We all do. She's a very nice person," I smiled.

"When are you and Nana and Poppop coming to visit?" she asked sweetly.

"Soon, honey. Real soon," I told her as I heard Rose in the background calling for her.

"Gotta go, Uncle Edward...love you, here's Daddy," she said after yelling back at Rose that she was coming.

"Love you, too, Kylie," I grinned, wondering if she'd even heard me before she'd handed off the phone.

Hearing her sound so happy on the phone only reaffirmed what everyone in our family had always believed, that she belonged with Emmett. It infuriated me to no end that Lauren had been as cruel as she had to rip her away from all of us when we loved her so dearly.

"Sup, bro?" Em chuckled.

"Hey douche...thanks for betting on me. You owe Jasper a hundred bucks," I laughed.

"Aw heck, _man_! You didn't last a single day?" he griped.

"Barely made it a few hours...Ma fired my ass and sent me packing," I told him as I paid for my drinks and headed back toward Jasper.

"Darn meddling family...I so would have won that bet, too," he grumbled and I had to stifle a chuckle.

"Heck and darn, huh?" I snickered.

"Shut it...it's better than Rose's drats," he laughed. "Hey...shouldn't you be on a plane already?"

I spoke with him for a while longer, telling him all about our race to the airport only to miss the damn flight and have to wait for Jasper's later one. He filled me in on what was going on with the Kylie situation, and I was beyond glad to hear that Lauren had been arrested, and thus far had been unable to make bail. Apparently she'd blown through everything she'd gotten out of Emmett in the divorce, and her parents refused to post bail for her after they heard what she'd done to Kylie. I didn't blame them. Not one bit...I wouldn't have posted it for her either, regardless if I was related to her or not.

There are just some things in this world that are completely unforgivable, and abandoning a child that way is one of them.

Before getting off the phone, Emmett assured me that he'd pick me up at the airport so I could surprise Bella, all I had to do was text or call him with an arrival time. I made him swear on everything sacred that neither he nor Rosalie would spill the news of my arrival to Bella, and when I finally hung up and closed my phone I just shook my head.

I was screwed. Emmett couldn't lie or even hide the truth for shit.

He'd never been able to ever since we were kids. Esme had caught him in a lie _one time _when we were like eleven or twelve, and ever since then he'd stammer and fidget every time he tried. His talents in deception peaked at a slight bending of the truth. Any further than that and even a five year old could call him on it. By age seventeen I'd lost count of how many times Jasper or I had to do all the talking while he tried to remain stone faced and stare at the floor and even then he'd fidget nervously. I probably would have laughed hysterically at him at the time if I hadn't been scared shitless of getting busted myself.

Which half the time we did because his fidgeting gave us all away.

"You shouldn't have told him," Jasper sang amusedly, still playing his damn poker on his phone.

"Yeah...I'm realizing that now," I snorted as he snapped his phone shut suddenly and turned toward me in his seat.

"You know...I was thinking, how long is their layover in Texas?" he asked and I quirked a brow at him as I rested the side of my face against my thumb and forefinger.

"Six hours, if memory serves...why?" I asked as he rubbed his chin.

"Because it's possible, if you can get the right connecting flight time, for you to actually arrive before them. It's definitely something to check out when we get to Atlanta," he suggested and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"That'd be great, but I'll settle for just getting there the same day if at all possible," I replied as I stretched my legs out. Why oh why couldn't they make waiting area seating more comfortable? Really...after a while it was like sitting on _concrete_ for crap's sake.

"Can I ask you something? Seriously? Because it's been plaguing my mind for years now," he asked after a long stretch of silence between us.

"Shoot," I nodded once, not bothering to open my eyes as I rested my head against the back of the chair.

"Have you really been hiding on the island for all these years because of what happened between you and that Tanya chick?" he asked and I scoffed.

"No...I'll never really get why all of you keep thinking that, but no. I just...I don't know how to explain it really. When it first happened...yeah I went to the island just to get away, but it was only supposed to be a mental vacation of sorts," I answered.

"What made you stay then?" he asked curiously.

"You ever just find yourself somewhere and there's really no reason behind it, but you just feel like you're _supposed_ to be there?" I asked as I shifted in my seat, sitting a bit more upright as I turned to face him.

"Yeah, kind of I guess," he shrugged.

"That's it...that's the only answer I can give you. Once I was finished feeling hurt, and betrayed, and angry...I just lacked the desire to leave because some part of me felt like I belonged there...that for reasons unknown to me I was _meant_ to be there," I told him, and as much as I tried to suppress my idiotic grin in response to his smirk, I couldn't.

"You mean you were meant to be there to meet Bella," he teased. I just shrugged, still smiling like an ass.

"Fate works in mysterious ways, Jas...I think we can all attest to that at this point. It's definitely been one hell of a crazy ass summer," I chuckled just as they started announcing the boarding of first class passengers for our flight.

"And to think I almost didn't come," he mused, shaking his head as we stood and gathered our bags.

As we settled into our seats, I couldn't help but think about how purely coincidental this past month had truly been. Had any of the three of us not changed our minds at the last minute, none of us would have been there while the girls were. I'd been planning to go to Chicago and Emmett hadn't been sure if he'd be making the trip this year or not. It had been Jasper's last minute change of mind that had prompted me to stay rather than leave, and it had been the knowledge that both of us would be there that had tempted Emmett into changing his mind and joining us as well. I guessed it really was true that fate worked in mysterious ways.

My thoughts traveled back to his teasing that I was meant to be there to meet Bella, and even though it seemed kind of ridiculous to think that some supernatural force had kept me waiting there for her for eight long years, I couldn't deny the truth that after having met her...I would have waited longer.

For her...I would have waited there forever if I'd had to.

"Kill that light, will ya? I'm exhausted," Jasper mumbled, fluffing a pillow behind his neck as we began taxiing toward the runway. I clicked it off and settled myself in for the long flight, hoping to get some sleep as well.

I was out cold before the plane even left the ground.

~*~

"I'm sorry, Sir, but if you want a nonstop flight to Seattle, the best I can do is put you on standby and hopefully one will have a last minute seat available," the ticketing agent in Atlanta informed me.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair agitatedly, ready to smack my forehead into the counter.

"I know a nonstop flight would be more ideal, but, if you don't mind having connections, I can try to book you on a flight plan that will guarantee your arrival in Seattle tonight," she offered kindly.

"I don't really care about connections...I just _really_ need to make it there at some point today," I nodded, leaning against the counter as she instantly started clicking away on her keyboard.

"Okay, I have two choices for you. I can fly you into New York and then to Seattle with an arrival time of eleven pm, or, I can book you on a flight to Pittsburgh where you'll catch a connecting flight to Minneapolis and then another to Seattle...it's quite a bit of jumping around, but it'll get you in at seven rather than eleven," she said, shooting me a sympathetic smile.

I let out a humorless chuckle, incredulous at what I was about to go through just to make it to Seattle at a reasonable hour, and answered her as I handed her my credit card, "I swear I'm borderline masochistic for this...but I'll take the second plan."

She laughed lightly and nodded as she took my credit card, asking for my ID as well, and completed booking my flights. When she asked if I'd like to check my bag, I declined, fearing I'd end up losing it somewhere in all of my connecting flights.

"Thank you for choosing Delta Airlines. Enjoy your flights," she said, smiling in a way that had me chuckling as I nodded and walked away. Yeah...even she thought I was crazy for putting myself through all the additional hassle for just a few hours difference.

It didn't matter though. I'd go through just about anything to fix my mistake of not leaving with her like I should have to start with.

"Get it all settled?" Jasper asked as I met back up with him where he'd been waiting for me in a Starbucks coffee shop.

"Yeah...my first flight takes off at ten thirty," I nodded, taking the cup of coffee he was holding out to me.

"First? How many do you have?" he laughed.

"_Three_," I snorted, shaking my head as I lifted the cup to my lips.

"Don't feel bad. I've got two. Got a two hour layover in Los Angeles," he shrugged.

Since my flight wasn't taking out until an hour and a half after his, I sat with him at his departure gate for the next almost two hours until they began boarding his flight. When they started announcing the boarding of all first class passengers for his flight, I stood with him and shook his hand while giving him the ever typical one armed hug. I clapped him once on the back, telling him that if he didn't make it up to Seattle before Bella and I left on her book tour, we'd see him at Christmas.

I waited until he disappeared down the jetway and then made the short trek over to my own departure gate. It didn't take long before I was bored out of my mind, and tired of listening to the woman behind me prattle endlessly on her phone about the cruise she'd been on, so I pulled out my phone and powered it up. It only took a minute before it was chirping and vibrating in my hand, notifying me that I had three missed alerts. Two text messages and one voicemail. I smiled when I saw the text messages were both from Bella.

Just landed in Houston...I miss you already. Call me when you wake up XOXO -B

Our flight's been delayed =( Ali's fuming...it's kinda scary. Wish you were here with me. Love you. XOXO -B

I glanced down at my watch as I lifted my phone to my ear, waiting for the automated recording to start so I could enter my pin for my voicemail. I still had almost twenty minutes before my flight even began boarding, so I got up and went in search of a quieter area, listening as Emmett's groggy voice reminded me to let him know when my flight was coming in so he could be there to get me. I ended the call and sat down in a chair as I started composing a text to him, letting him know my flight number and what time I'd be arriving.

The second it was sent, I pulled up Bella's number and hit send before raising it to my ear.

"Hello?...Alice, damnit! Bugger off, will ya?" she answered, making me chuckle as I heard a slight scuffle in the background.

"Hey...sorry," she sighed moments later.

"Did I call at a bad time?" I sniggered.

"Never. You're saving my olfactory senses from Alice's assault," she laughed. "She's been shoving these smelly ass perfumed magazine pages in my face for an hour now. I'll never understand why she and Rose have to sniff each and every one of them."

"Em does the same thing with deodorants in the store," I chuckled. "So how was your flight into Houston?" I asked, sinking down into my seat and closing my eyes.

"It was fine...boring and long and I couldn't really sleep, but it was okay. Did you get my message earlier about our flight being delayed?" she asked as I heard what sounded like someone smacking paper and then Ali grumbling in the background.

"Yeah, I got it. How long are you stuck there now? Didn't you already have a six hour layover?" I asked, wishing I could just be there with her. It was in that moment that I realized even if I hadn't hopped the plane with Jasper...I wouldn't have lasted longer than the first phone call with her before running after her.

"Yeah...the board says our new departure time is five thirty. We're gonna be stuck here all damn day. Ali's pissed because she wanted to take a wing by her parents' place tonight, but with us not getting in until like eight tonight now, she won't be able to before they go to bed," she said and I started grinning like crazy.

I was going to beat her to Seattle...as long as none of my flights got delayed anyway.

"I'm sorry, baby. I wish I could be there with you," I told her truthfully.

"Me too...I miss you like crazy already and it hasn't even been a full day yet," she replied. I hated how sad she sounded, but I knew it'd be gone by the end of the day and knowing that made it at least slightly bearable.

"I miss you too, Bella," I said, biting back a sigh when I looked down at my watch. They'd be boarding my flight any minute now. "Baby, I'm sorry to cut this call so short, but I have to run. Call me tonight as soon as you land, okay?"

"Aw, do you really have to go already?" she whined and I could just picture her adorable little pout.

"Yeah, sweetie, I do...but I'll be waiting for you tonight," I grinned, knowing she wouldn't really get what I was telling her.

"Okay," she sighed. "I love you. Tell Esme and Carlisle and everyone we said hello."

"Will do, love. I love you too...talk to you soon," I replied, hanging on the line for just a few more moments to say our final goodbyes before getting up and heading back to my gate.

The flight to Pittsburgh sucked. I was stuck in the world's most uncomfortably hard seat between a business man who reeked of pine as if he'd bathed with a car freshener, and a scary woman with jet black hair that had streaks of hot pink in it and multiple facial piercings who growled...yes _growled_...every time I shifted in my seat and accidentally brushing against her arm. As if I had copious amounts of room on either side of me in which I could maneuver myself.

By the time I stumbled out of that plane, my ass was numb, my legs were cramped, and my head was throbbing from inhaling too much of the "_eau de pine_" that had settled in a cloud around me.

The flight to Minneapolis wasn't half as bad, if you excluded the sadistic stewardess that I swore by the time the plane was getting ready to land had made it her life's mission to wait until my elbow was hanging out in the aisle so she could ram it with her beverage and snack cart. At least I'd had a single seat all to myself in the small aircraft...not that it'd been any more comfortable than the last seat I'd been in.

Out of all of them...I'd have to say my flight to Seattle was the most interesting of all. I'd ended up getting a window seat in yet another smaller aircraft, but it was my neighboring traveler that made the flight unforgettable. He was probably twenty five at most...and overwhelmingly obviously homosexual. Not a day in my life have I ever judged a person for their sexual orientation, race, social status...whatever...and in the beginning of the flight, he'd been pleasant enough that I'd entertained his friendly chattering rather than being rude and ignoring him while feigning sleep.

That was until he'd literally groped my thigh and told me how "drop dead _gorgeous_" I was.

Yeah...I spent the next three and a half hours damn near terrified of the man next to me, sporting the hot pink sweater and flower sequined jeans, and wearing make-up thicker than any drag queen I'd ever seen before as I literally tried to become one with the wall and window next to me.

When the stewardess finally opened the cabin door, I nearly bowled over at least twenty people trying to escape as _'Vince the Violator'_,as I'd begun referring to him in my head, continued to make goo-goo eyes at me while slipping his number into my back pocket. Yes, my friggen _back pocket_. I made a mental memo right then and there to never let the person that had been sitting next to me for hours on a flight exit a plane behind me..._ever_.

I was also gonna call Esme first thing in the morning and have her express ship my wedding band to Bella's house because if I _ever _had to get on another plane without her, that sucker was going to be welded to my finger. I didn't give a crap if we were married yet or not as long as it got the message across that I was undeniably and permanently unavailable...to anyone of _any_ sexual orientation.

After waiting for my bag in the jetway for the final time, and making sure 'Vince the Violator' was long gone, I slung the bag over my head and headed off toward the restrooms. I could still smell that damn pine tree air freshener scent lingering on my clothes, mixed in with Vince's _Gucci_ perfume that he'd raved about for twenty straight minutes because he'd gotten it at a steal of a price.

I reeked...there was no denying it. By the time I'd changed into new clothes and tried to freshen up a bit...I still looked like I'd been through hell and back, but at least I didn't smell quite so offensive anymore.

On my way back toward the departure gates, I stopped to check the information boards announcing the arriving flights and smiled when I saw that Bella's flight coming in from Houston would be landing in just twenty minutes. I made my way over to the gate she'd be coming in at and dropped my bag at my feet, leaning against a column with a clear view of the door she'd walk through.

While I waited, I fished out my phone and dialed Emmett. He laughed when he told me that they were all waiting down by baggage claim for me and the girls since their flight delay had caused their arrival time to be so close to my own. I spoke with Kylie and Rose for just a few minutes each, both sounding genuinely excited to see all of us.

I couldn't get over how happy Kylie sounded each time I'd spoken to her over the last few days. It was almost as if nothing that had happened to her just a few days ago had affected her at all, and that the pain I knew she'd endured with missing her rightful daddy had just vanished the moment she'd been reunited with him.

Her happiness coupled with how much she seemed to adore Rosalie already thrilled me to no end and ensured me that everything would work out as it should in the end.

Time seemed to slow to an agonizing crawl after I slipped my phone back into my pocket. I continuously shifted my weight from foot to foot, anxious for that damn door across from me to open already. My hair probably looked like something out of a fright night horror flick, sticking out all over the place with how many times I'd dragged my hands through it, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

Finally..._finally _after what seemed like a lifetime, her plane approached the gate. Ten minutes later, the door opened and people slowly began emerging. I grinned like a lunatic when I saw her come around the bend, looking at Alice next to her as she said something and shook her head. I pushed myself off the column and waited for her eyes to find me, and the moment they crossed through the doorway, she finally looked up.

I'll never forget the look on her face, her brows furrowing and mouth dropping open as she stopped dead in her tracks, the person behind her bumping into her because they were looking down at something in their hand. She staggered forward a bit but never took her eyes off me as Alice looked up and shouted in surprise loud enough for the _entire_ _concourse_ to hear her.

"HOLY SHIT! NO FREAKIN' WAY!!"

I bit my lip and chuckled a bit, continuing to grin at her as her eyes began to glisten with unshed tears and I took my first step toward her. Her bag slipped from her shoulder, falling to the floor at her feet as her chin and bottom lip began to quiver even though a smile was beginning to form across her lips. In true to Bella form, the first step she took she managed to get her foot snagged in the strap of her bag, but the slight stumble didn't deter her in the least as she took off at a sprint toward me.

Within moments, I had her sobbing and laughing in my arms...right where she would always belong.

"I told you I'd be waiting for you tonight, baby," I murmured in her ear, holding her tightly as I nuzzled my cheek against hers. She pulled her face back, glistening tear tracks trailing down her face, but a beautiful smile gleaming up at me.

"How? _How_ are you _here_?" she asked, completely unable to believe that I was standing right before her.

"Would you believe me if I told you Esme fired me and I've spent the last twenty six hours getting on and off four different flights after I missed you at the airport by just minutes?" I asked, smiling down at her as I swayed us from side to side.

"You chased after me? Like some cheesy romance novel?" she giggled, ecstatic.

"Damn right I did...What kind of future husband would I be if I didn't?" I joked, leaning down to finally press my lips to hers.

The second her warm lips touched mine, everything around us ceased to exist. There were no sounds of travelers speaking to one another, no loud voices filtering through speakers, or jet engines...just the soft hum of her sigh as I threaded my fingers in her hair and pulled her further into me. I'd never been more content than in that moment, finally having her back in my arms after stupidly letting her leave without me.

I'd never make that mistake again. Not in a million years, because it was only when I had her in my arms that I felt like I had everything I could ever want or need.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, cradling her face in my hands as I brushed my lips back and forth across hers. "I never should have let you leave without me."

"I don't care," she whispered, shaking her head as she gripped my sides under my shirt. "You're here now...that's all that matters to me."

I ducked my head down as I nodded slightly and pulled her bottom lip between mine, unable to resist kissing her again. When she tilted her head and I felt the moist warmth of her tongue, I parted my lips and met it with my own. So lost in our own little passion filled world we were that we barely heard Alice's subtle prompts of clearing her throat to get our attention.

"Uh...guys? Everyone's kinda...staring," she finally spoke. I shook with silent laughter as Bella giggled, but neither of us pulled away.

"Okay, _seriously_...some guy is pulling out his video camera right now probably thinking he'll have the next big hit YouTube public porn video," Ali scoffed, and that did it. We broke apart laughing loudly together.

I smiled down at her, feeling completely whole for the first time since I watched her disappear in her limo while standing on that dock, and pressed one final kiss to her lips.

"Come on, love...let's go home."

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**See you all in a week or two with the first part of the epilogue series!! ~Jersey~**


	38. Epilogue Part 1

**A/N: Here it is folks. The first part in the epilogue series. I'm sorry I didn't respond to reviews this week with teasers, but I haven't been feeling very well and I've been crazy busy trying to wrap this baby up. Thank you all who have reviewed. Please know that even when I don't get the chance to respond, I do read and love every single one of them ^_^ so thank you again. **

**Oh...and please read the end note before reviewing! Thanks! Enjoy!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Any and everything Twilight related belongs to SMeyer. Any and everything related exclusively to Tides of Fate belongs to me.

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Epilogue Part 1

BPOV

"Charlie!" I yelled, making my way from the kitchen to the bottom of the stairs. "Let's go already! We're gonna miss our flight!"

It had been an absolute insane year for everyone since we'd left Isle Esme. So much had happened in the last twelve months, it was hard to even figure out where to begin. My parents had finalized their divorce at the beginning of September, and to everyone's surprise, both of them had gotten remarried by Valentine's Day.

My father had moved out of the house he'd shared with my mother shortly after he'd told me they were getting a divorce, and stayed with Grammy Swan just until Christmas day...the day he shocked everyone by standing from the dinner table and dropping down on one knee in front of Beth to propose to her right then and there. They got married on Valentine's Day, joined only by close friends and family in a little white chapel just outside of Forks. It was beautiful and simple, perfect for the two of them. I'd never seen my father happier than on that day.

My mother, once she'd gotten over her initial resentment of the divorce, decided to sign herself up for some crazy kind of singles adventure vacation. She took off on a flight headed for Mexico where she went sky diving, scuba diving, zip lining, biking, rafting, and parasailing...and met the love of her life. Phil Dwyer.

Phil's an interesting man - a renaissance man of sorts. He's a retired semi-pro baseball player that's also been a teacher, coach, truck driver, driving instructor, and up until he met Renee, a singles adventure vacation tour guide. The pair of them are a match made in heaven - always onto their next great thrill seeking adventure together. They met in November and were married on New Year's Eve.

The most amazing thing that had happened after their divorce? Charlie and Renee managed to rekindle the friendship they'd once shared. In fact, the four of them are thick as thieves now...unbelievable. I know.

"DAD! Good Lord! Even Renee and Phil beat you to the airport! Shake a leg already!" I yelled up the stairwell. I swear at some point he and Renee had switched bodies because where we'd once always joked that Renee would be late to her own funeral...it was, in fact, Charlie that I was now placing my bets on.

"Love, he's coming. Relax. We have plenty of time before the flight leaves," Edward chuckled as he wrapped his arms around me.

From the very beginning our relationship had been tested to its limit...and we'd survived it all. More than survived. Every hurdle we'd had to cross, every obstacle that had been placed in our path, every fight, every misunderstanding...each and every one of them had only brought us closer together.

Granted most of those fights, hurdles, obstacles, and misunderstandings took place during the first four months of our relationship. To this day I will say that the most foolproof way to make two people know every in and out of what makes the other tick...it's to slap them together for almost three and a half months straight with little opportunity for anything but work for one of them.

I learned quickly that Edward is a very restless man. He has to be doing something constantly or he'll go bat shit crazy. Anything longer than a few days straight of lounging around a hotel room, or accompanying me to signing events and interviews - which are a complete bore to him and unbearably stressful for me - and he starts bouncing off the walls like a crazy man.

By the end of the first month of the tour, it seemed we fought every time we had more than just a few short hours to spend with each other, with no fans asking questions or begging for things to be signed, no journalists asking about prior or future projects and things like that - just us. Not only did we fight, but we found ourselves fighting over some of the most _ridiculous_ things known to mankind. Like how I didn't take my birth control pill at the same _exact_ time every day, or how he'd scowl when _any_ man requested a picture with me at a signing event and put his arm around me for the photo...even if said man was obviously gay. It was utterly ridiculous.

After one particularly bad fight, caused by a very chatty and flirtatious journalist that kissed my hand while thanking me for an interview, I headed off to yet another signing event with only Angela, as Edward had claimed he'd seen enough men pawing over me for one day. When I returned, I found the hotel room empty, and even though the fact that his clothes were still there told me he hadn't left for good, it still felt as though he had. I feared that when he returned, he'd say he was done and he couldn't do it anymore.

When he did return, he found me sitting in a sea of crumpled tissues on the bed, repeatedly worrying my ring to the point I was afraid the stones would fall out. That was the last major fight we'd had. He spent the entire night apologizing for how he'd acted, the things he'd said, and for leaving without so much as a note to tell me where he'd gone. And of course, in typical Edward form, he'd done so while making love to me.

I'll never understand why the majority of our deepest and most meaningful conversations take place during sex, but I'll never complain about it either, because it's when we're making love that I feel we're the most connected. Like we're one person, sharing one heart and one soul.

"Baby...it's an international flight. It takes off in just under two hours and we're a half hour from the airport. We're supposed to be there already," I pouted. He just chuckled and kissed my bottom lip before looking up our stairwell.

"Let's get a move on Chief!" he yelled, laughing slightly. "I'd like to make it to the altar sometime this century!"

"Hold your horses..._sheesh_. You actually managed to make it the full year to the wedding without suffering bodily harm from me...don't make me strangle you now, boy," Charlie laughed, appearing at the top of the steps in his hideously vibrant colored and flowered tropical button down shirt, khaki shorts, and brown leather moccasins. I swear the only thing the man was missing was a straw hat and a fishing pole...and maybe a cooler of beer.

"You look beautiful Dad...I'm sure the hummingbirds will mistake you for the local nectar buffet the minute you get out the door," I snickered just as an obnoxious horn started blaring..._again_.

"Tell that driver if he hits that damn horn one more time he's gonna eat it," Charlie grumbled as he made his way down the steps with his suitcase.

"That's not the driver, Dad...it's your _wife_," I chuckled, rolling my eyes as I opened the front door.

"CHARLES SWAN! MOVE YOUR BUTT! AT THIS RATE YOU'LL BE LATE TO YOUR OWN FUNERAL!" Beth yelled and both Edward and I cracked up as we stepped out onto the front porch.

"You see that son? You're looking at your future. Still want to marry this harpy little thing?" Charlie joked as he slapped him on the back and gestured between his wife and me.

"More than ever," he answered, his eyes smoldering at me as a crooked grin graced his lips.

"Don't say I didn't warn ya, kid," he laughed, walking away from us as I set the alarm on the house before shutting the door and locking the deadbolt as Edward wrapped his arms around me. I turned in his embrace and smiled as I leaned up on my toes to softly kiss his lips.

"Have everything?" he sighed as I lowered myself. "Your dress?" he asked and I nodded as he continued to count everything off. "Suitcase? Passport? Photo ID? Did you make sure the stove was off? Coffee maker? Iron? Did you grab your shoes for the dress?" he asked and I gasped as I pulled my key back out.

I had it half way in the door before he started chuckling and my hand dropped to my side as I turned and laughed.

"You jerk!" I guffawed as I swatted him. "I'm not wearing shoes for the wedding."

"I know...I just couldn't resist with how anxious you've been about thinking you would forget something," he chuckled and then kissed my forehead before leading me away from the door.

"Hey, did you get that message from Angela last night about not forgetting to give her your finalized copy of your super secret manuscript?" he asked and I stopped dead in my tracks as I choked on the air filling my throat and lungs.

"Shit," I squeaked, turning to run back up to the door. "I _knew _I would forget something, I told you!"

The only sound I was met with was his hearty laugh as I bolted back into the house, disengaged the alarm and ran up the steps, heading for my office. I dug the key for the bottom drawer of my desk out of it's hiding place - in the picture frame Edward had painted with hearts galore all over it and behind the photo of Edward and I sleeping in the cabana by the pool with Maddie and Vinnie - and hurriedly opened the drawer to pull out the envelope I'd placed the manuscript in. With the envelope in hand, I darted back down the steps and reset the alarm before locking the house up behind me.

"We need to make a quick stop on the way," I told the driver as I climbed into the van. He nodded and I gave him the address for Angela's office. I was gonna owe her _huge_ for pulling this off for me, but it'd be worth kissing her ass until the day I died.

"Hey, Bells...have you heard from your grandmother recently?" Charlie asked suddenly.

"Yeah, I talked to her yesterday? Maybe the day before?" I answered, unsure of when exactly I'd talked to her, but knowing it had been very recently.

"Is she _ever_ planning on coming home?" he asked, quirking a brow at me as he turned in his seat.

"What?" I snorted. "Of course she's coming home. At the end of the summer with the rest of us. Why?"

"I don't know...it just seems like this island we're heading off to is like the Bermuda Triangle or something," he said and Edward and I burst into laughter.

"Really, Dad? The Bermuda Triangle? You need to stop watching the Discovery Channel late at night," I snickered, shaking my head.

"Don't mock me, Isabella. I'm serious," he warned half heartedly. "First the three of you go there and not one of you actually wanted to come back. Then your mother goes there with Phil for their honeymoon and didn't want to come back. Now your grandmother went there with you two a month ago for what was supposed to be four days and she _didn't _come back," he rambled, looking slightly nervous which made me laugh even harder.

"Dad...it's just an island," I sighed, still laughing lightly as I wiped away at my eyes. "Mom and Phil didn't get the chance to do everything they wanted to do before their vacation was over, which is why she didn't want to leave. The island itself had nothing to do with why Rosalie, Alice and I didn't want to leave, and Grammy just decided to stay so she could be a part of putting our wedding together with Esme and Aunt Di. I think she was feeling a little left out of the mix in the planning of her only grandchild's wedding, so when Esme offered for her stay and give her a much needed hand, Grammy jumped for it. It's not the black hole of the universe you seem to be thinking it is."

"Yeah...we'll see about that," he grumbled, turning to look out the window as Beth looked back at us and rolled her eyes while circling a finger next to her temple and mouthing "_He's crazy_."

"I am not crazy!" Charlie scoffed after catching Beth's reflection on the van's tinted window. "I'm just wondering if I should have put in for early retirement instead of using all my saved up paid time off to go somewhere I might never return from."

"Oh Charlie..." Beth tittered. "That right there proves that you're not crazy...you're absolutely _certifiable_."

My father's answering sardonic grin had me in absolute stitches, laughing so hard that the sides of my stomach were on fire as I hopped out of the van to run my package up to Angela's office. She wasn't in her office when I got there so I hurriedly scrawled out a short note, thanking her for the last minute favor and telling her I'd see her and Ben at the rehearsal dinner on Thursday before practically running back down to the waiting van.

The rest of the drive to the airport was filled with lively chatter, and at one point, Edward actually strapped me down to the seat with a seatbelt because I was bouncing around so much in excitement. I was like Alice on _Amp _energy drinks, and had been that way for a solid two weeks. It was just unreal to me that we'd finally made it to the week of our wedding. _Finally_.

Even though it had only been a year, it sometimes felt like it'd been _so_ much longer. It was hard for me to even remember a time when we hadn't been together anymore. It just felt like he'd always been with me. To look back and see everything that we'd been through together and overcome along the way...it was eye opening to say the least.

In just one year, we'd celebrated the marriages of both of my parents...as well as Alice and Jasper. Although they'd originally planned to wed the year after us, the surprise news of her being pregnant had sprung them into instant action, both of them wanting to be married before their unexpected little one arrived.

Neither had been aware of it at the time, but when she started feeling ill routinely just before Edward and I left for the book tour in mid August, she went to the doctor and came back with the startling news. They'd done an ultrasound and estimated her conception date to be somewhere around the second week of July...right around the time they'd gotten engaged.

They were married in a gorgeous candle lit outdoor ceremony the weekend after my birthday in September, and Edward and I had flown in for a hasty weekend visit to attend it. Jonathan Edward Whitlock was born March twenty-eighth - a little more than two weeks early but healthy as could be.

Alice cried like a baby when the doctor had put to rest all of her worries over whether the alcohol she'd consumed while unaware of her pregnancy had harmed him. He was perfectly fine and healthy; ten fingers, ten toes, good vitals, twenty inches long and only slightly underweight due to his early arrival...though that didn't last very long. He's the pudgiest almost three month old I've ever seen with dark brown hair and striking ice blue eyes just like his father's. Absolutely adorable.

Jonathan isn't the only one we've welcomed into the family this past year either. On January twentieth, Kylie Anne Mallory officially became Kylie Anne Cullen again...and for good this time.

Kylie's biological parents readily agreed to allow Emmett to adopt her during their first informal hearing...on one condition. They'd agreed to sign over full guardianship to him and waive all of their parental rights in exchange for his cooperation with the Assistant District Attorney and Lauren's court appointed lawyer to offer her a plea bargain, lessening the charges they were seeking from a felony indictment of child neglect and abandonment - for leaving her on his doorstep without even checking to see if he was home...or even in the country...which he hadn't been - down to a misdemeanor charge of child endangerment.

Not wanting to drag Kylie through what could have been at least a year full of hearings and trials, and wanting to secure his permanent guardianship of her as quickly as possible so neither he nor Kylie would ever have to worry about her being taken from him again, Emmett and Rosalie decided together that he would go along with the plea bargain deal. Even though the process had gone smoothly, it seemed as though it had taken an eternity for their January court date to arrive.

Lauren was released from jail the day of the hearing on time already served, but was slapped with an additional two hundred hours of community service and an impassioned lecture over her deplorable actions by the judge before she adjourned the hearing. Kylie's father had never been charged with anything since he'd taken off on both she and Lauren years prior. He'd only shown up and stuck around long enough to sign over his parental rights to Emmett the day of their first hearing. Instead of looking relieved that his child was unharmed and was now being cared for _properly_…he seemed to only be relieved that he wouldn't have to pay child support any longer. A match made in a dumpster the pair of them were, I'd say.

On the day the family returned from the courthouse, Rosalie called everyone in and threw what was possibly the biggest welcoming wagon party I've ever seen, celebrating her return to the family in which she so rightfully belonged.

I'd dare a single person to ever contest the fact that that little girl isn't Emmett and Rose's daughter in _every_ way... because she's_ just _likethem. It's frightening...truly it is. Wavy blonde hair like Rose's, eyes as blue as the sea like both of them, a thorough mix of Emmett's jovial demeanor and Rose's wicked sense of sarcasm. If God could have molded the perfect child from the two of them...Kylie was that child.

Emmett's house is currently on the market, as both he and Kylie have moved into Rosalie's spacious home. Their decision on her house over his was based solely on the fact that Rosalie's neighborhood had tons of kids that Kylie had already become friends with over the last few weeks of summer. It was really a no-brainer decision as she'd spent nearly every day after school at Rosalie's house anyway.

Rose had started picking her up from school when Kylie practically begged Emmett to stop sending her to Mrs. Stinky-burger's house every day. Poor woman...her name was Eichelberger but Kylie had taken to calling her Stinky-burger because she was always a bit liberal with the "_Eau de Ol' Lady_" perfume as Emmett liked to say.

Most days, Rose made her finish her homework before letting her out to play in the neighborhood, but every now and again she'd have to bring her back to work with her. Kylie didn't seem to mind it, however, as she'd become quite the grease monkey herself, soaking up every last bit of what Rosalie taught her. The kid's nine years old and can change your oil and tires...probably your serpentine belt and spark plugs too. Hell I can't even tell you what a spark plug _looks_ like, much less how to change one...which Kylie thinks is gut wrenchingly hilarious.

Why Emmett and Rosalie haven't even gotten engaged yet is a mystery to us all as they're the perfect little family, but we all know it's inevitable eventually.

While we've celebrated new members joining our family, we've also mourned the loss of another. The second week of December, Caius passed away in his sleep. I'll never forget the look on Edward's face when I'd looked up from the book I'd been signing for a fan, the smile on my face vanishing the very second I spotted him, eyes puffy and red rimmed. I'd known instantly that something was horrifically wrong and nearly toppled the table over in my haste to get to him. We cut my book tour short right then and there and hopped the first flight to Italy immediately to pay our respects and be with our family in their time of need.

His passing only made it that much more clear to all of us that whatever time we're permitted in life, shouldn't be taken for granted. There may not always be a tomorrow, and that's something Edward and I have lived by ever since.

In the year that we've been together, there hasn't been a single family function or event that we've missed, and not a single chance to get together has been overlooked. Our kitchen calendar is constantly being filled with plans ranging from attending Kylie's school functions, Alice's fashion events, Rose's car shows, Emmett, Edward, and Jasper's ground breaking ceremonies with each new project they take on, anniversaries, birthdays...you name it and there's something written in there for it.

There's even a block on every single Sunday through the entire calendar labeled _Fishing with Pops_. That's all Edward right there...I'm still overly wary of anything even resembling a fish hook. I've been scarred for life by that hook I took in the arm a year ago. He thinks it's absolutely hilarious. I, however, think he's absolutely retarded if he thinks I'll ever handle a fishing pole again with one of those lethal buggers attached to it.

It's amazing to see how closely the two of them have bonded. I'm not sure whether to accredit Charlie's change in demeanor to his own newfound happiness in life, or if it was the events of Thanksgiving that had made him have a change of heart on my soon to be husband.

We'd flown in from New York to spend the holiday with my family, and it had been a complete utter disaster from the start. Charlie and Beth had invited Billy, and of course along with Billy came Jacob. It was surprising that he'd come without a date, as I'd expected nothing less after Charlie had informed me that he'd be there when we called to confirm our plans to head home for a four day weekend for the holiday. I'd fretted silently over what emotions would bombard me upon seeing him again, but when I came face to face with him for the first time in over two years...I felt nothing. I mean _nothing_. No pang of hurt for what he'd done or how he'd treated me, no longing for the friendship we'd once shared...there was just...nothing.

The realization of it actually made a giggle bubble out of me and, to everyone standing around me, I probably looked downright insane laughing at absolutely nothing. I would have most likely continued to feel nothing and laugh about it all if Jacob hadn't kept scowling at and making blatantly rude comments to Edward. Fifteen minutes into the meal and I wanted to fling my fork down the table and stab him right in the eye. Edward, the ever proper one in front of my father at the time, handled it a hell of a lot better than I did, letting all of it slide off his back with an easy going chuckle and perfectly timed chaste kisses and touches. He kept his cool the entire evening...

Right up until Jacob grabbed my arm and pinned me against the wall beneath Beth's stairwell.

I'd never seen Edward look more predatory than when he stalked toward us and ripped Jacob's offending hand off my arm, venom in his voice as he told him to keep his hands off his future wife unless he wanted to lose them.

Charlie had stepped in quickly, asking what had happened and when I'd told him, he'd grabbed Jacob by the collar of his shirt and threw him right out the front door into the freezing rain. My father stood out on the porch, towering over where Jacob had picked himself up off the muddy lawn, and told him that if he ever so much as _looked_ at me the wrong way again, he'd get a restraining order on him...after beating him to a bloody pulp.

On his way back in, he paused next to Edward and I, as Edward was inspecting the red marks on my arm, and clapped him once on the shoulder. We didn't see him again until Christmas Eve, and haven't seen Jacob since, but after Charlie gave me a hug and a kiss on the top of my head, Edward held his hand out for the customary handshake…and everything changed.

Instead of shaking his hand with a slight scowl on his face as Edward had become accustomed to, Charlie swung an arm over his shoulders, slapped him on the back and led him toward the living room where he was watching a football game...leaving me standing there completely bewildered and wondering when my father had been abducted by aliens as I shut the door behind me and moved into the house.

They've been damn near inseparable ever since.

"Aunt Bella!" Kylie screamed as she spotted us walking up to our departure gate. She jumped off the chair she'd been standing on while watching the planes take off and came barreling in our direction. I laughed as I quickened my steps, picking her up in a tight hug and swinging her around as I kissed her cheek.

"How's my favorite niece?" I chuckled as I lowered her down. "Are you excited?" She was pretty tiny for a nine year old, and I often wondered if she'd be as tiny as Alice when she was full grown.

"_Yes_!" she squealed as she bounced on her toes. "Nana Esme said she made Daddy's old room into a _princess's _room for me!"

"Really now? I bet it's going to be the most beautiful princess room anyone's ever seen," I chuckled as I walked us forward to greet the rest of our awaiting party.

"I was beginning to worry you'd all miss the flight," my mom snickered as I wrapped my arms around her. I laughed and kissed her cheek as I released her and gave Phil a quick hug as he leaned in.

"It was close...I thought we were going to have to form a search and rescue party for Dad for a minute there," I chuckled, shaking my head and pointing at Charlie. "I'm beginning to swear his tardiness has something to do with taming that stash of his in the mirror."

After hugging everyone else and settling into our seats to wait the fifteen minutes we had left before boarding time - yeah we had cut it _that _close after standing in the security checkpoint line that was as long and slow moving as the Mississippi River filled with molasses - and Edward and I, and even Charlie and Beth, took turns holding chubby little Jonathan.

"Did you make a bottle for take off and landing to help with the pressure in his ears?" I asked as I passed him back to Alice.

"Yes ya damn walking maternal _boob_," she laughed as she rolled her eyes at me. "We've also been keeping him awake so hopefully he'll sleep through it like that article you sent me suggested."

"Can I please, please, _pretty please_ have a _cinnannom_ bun, Mama?" Kylie pleaded with Rose as I snickered at how she pronounced cinnamon. I saw in Rosalie's eyes the minute she'd said Mama that she'd won and not two seconds later, Rose lifted herself from her seat and took her hand, leading her away toward the sweets shop in the terminal. That kid could get the world out of Rose with that one simple word.

"How's Kylie adjusting to the new living arrangements?" I asked, knowing they'd been a bit worried over how the transition would affect her. She'd already been through so much and had her entire life flipped on its axis on more than one occasion, it was understandable that they'd be hesitant to uproot her yet again.

"So far so good...better than good actually," Emmett chuckled. "Kylie hasn't called her Rose once since the day we moved in. Not even when Lauren stops by for a visit...pisses her off something wicked too."

"I'll bet," Edward snorted. "Has Kylie started warming back up to her yet?"

When Emmett had begun allowing Lauren to visit Kylie, neither Edward nor I could understand why he'd even consider it after what she'd done, especially when the courts hadn't mandated it, but when he explained his reasoning...we couldn't really argue against it. We didn't like it, not at all, but he'd definitely had a point.

He didn't want to do to Kylie what Lauren had. He didn't want to keep her away from the only mother she'd known all her life. After having been too young the first time to have even really understood what was happening, or to even really try to fight against what her mother was doing, Em wanted it to be Kylie's choice whether she allowed Lauren to be a part of her life or not.

So far, and it's been about four months now, Kylie's been pretty damn obvious as to what her choice is.

"Hell no," he scoffed. "The girl operates in precisely two forms of '_piss off_'around her...she either ignores the hell out of Lauren and stares at a spot on the floor or the ceiling, or she'll yap Lauren's ear off telling her "_Mommy_ took me here" and "_Mommy_ taught me this" and "_Mommy_ and Auntie Alice took me shopping and Auntie Bella hid in the closet when we went to pick her up because she hates shopping."

He started laughing as he finished his tirade, looking dead at me as everyone else around us burst out in hysterics. I tried to fight off my amusement...but failed. Miserably too.

I really _had_ hidden in the closet when they pulled in the driveway a few weeks back, but only because Alice had been dragging me through malls and shops nonstop for what felt like almost every day of an _entire month_. If she wasn't shopping for something for Jonathan, it was for a new bathing suit or outfit that would hide the "pudge" she claimed she had. Whatever pudge she was seeing - more like imagining - was beyond me, but just because I'd been dragged along with her so many times, I'd ended up with half a closet full of new clothes and "essential" crap that I fully intended on boxing and giving out as birthday or Christmas presents to anyone I could find. I was shopped out. _Completely_.

I spotted Rosalie and Kylie returning just as they started calling out for boarding of all first class passengers on our flight. We'd had to book everyone's flights all together and months in advance because our party was taking up the _entire_ section. Both of my parents and their spouses argued with us relentlessly, trying to convince us to just purchase them regular economy seats. They were adamant that it was a tremendous waste of money, but we told them to forget about it and just deal with the hardships of flying first class, pointing out that the lack of being packed like sardines and actually being able to feel their ass and legs when they stood up wasn't going to kill them.

Edward and I had a bet going that they'd be singing an entirely different tune when we landed in Houston for our connecting flight to Rio. He seems to think Renee and Charlie will still think it's a waste of money, especially Charlie because he's such a "simple man".

I, however, am betting that when he doesn't smash his head on the ceiling when he stands and he doesn't have to rub his ass to get the blood flowing again, he'll never fly coach again. Well that and my secret weapon...he doesn't have to pay five bucks a beer...or wait in line for the lavatory when said beer runs its course. I'm _so_ winning this one.

_You're going down honey...better get Jasper and Emmett on those blueprints for our new deck and in ground heated swimming pool..._

Our bets are totally ridiculous. If I win he has to pay to put in a pool and help build our new deck. If he wins, I have to buy him a new Vanquish since he decided to leave his down in Brazil for when we visit. I figured he would have bought another one before we left for my book tour, but the day he went with Emmett to look for a new car, I came home from my meeting with Angela to find a brand spankin' new Yukon Denali sitting in our driveway. The damn thing looked like a giant black bus taking up half the driveway. It even sounded like a bus too. He laughed when I asked him if we were expecting to become the Partridge family, but I was completely serious!

I only ever drove it once...and I had to park the damn thing like a mile away from the mall, at the very end of the parking lot because I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get it into just one damn spot. Seriously...the thing needs like three...when I'm driving it at least. Rosalie and Alice laughed their asses off as I bitched and moaned the entire trek up to the mall entrance about how it was like driving a boat on land. It came in handy though with all the Christmas presents we packed into that thing while shopping on Black Friday...at least, it came in handy once they made me jog all the way out to the end of the lot to bring it to them because they refused to drag all of our bags back out to no man's land. Both of which I'll probably never, ever, do again...try to park the bus or shopping on or anywhere _near_ that specific day of the year.

People can be just downright vicious when they see giant discount signs.

"You okay, baby?" Edward asked, placing the back of his hand against my forehead. "You're looking kind of flushed."

"Yeah...my stomach's a little queasy though. It's been that way since we took off," I replied as I rubbed my belly.

"You're not getting cold feet are you?" he joked.

"Never...Rose, Ali, Kate, and Kylie will be lucky if I don't trample them on my way up the aisle," I laughed and then groaned. "Did you check the expiration date when you made the last of the eggs this morning? Something's not sitting right."

"No, I didn't because I swore we just bought that carton last week," he said and then unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned around the side of his seat.

"Hey Pop, you're stomach feelin' okay? Bella's got a sour stomach and she thinks it's from the eggs," he asked my dad. Charlie and I had been the only ones to eat them since there had only been four left. Both Edward and Beth had eaten instant oatmeal...practically the only thing left in our kitchen after we'd thrown anything perishable out that wouldn't be used before we left.

"They tasted fine to me, but this old gut is made of lead. There ain't much in this world besides Renee's tuna casserole that can unsettle it," he chuckled just before I heard Renee smack him with what I assumed was the magazine she had been perusing.

"Oh God..._Edward_ _move_," I blurted as I frantically tore at my seatbelt. Breakfast was coming up and there was nothing capable of stopping it.

I nearly toppled over him and headed straight to the floor in my haste but he caught me and righted me before I booked it to the bathroom. He crept in a few minutes later, carrying my toothbrush and a travel size tube of toothpaste in a plastic baggie, which he left on the sink before kneeling down next to me and rubbing my back.

"Sorry, love. I really should have checked the date on them," he said, his tone laced with worry and remorse.

"No," I sighed, pulling my head up from the bowl, "I should have looked when I threw everything else out. We didn't buy eggs last week..." I paused as I grimaced and slid to the floor on my ass, leaning against the wall. "Because I knew we wouldn't use them all before we left."

"You gonna be okay?" he asked, handing me a cool damp paper towel.

"Yeah...I think so anyway," I chuckled breathily.

He sat there with me until I was sure I wasn't going to need to make another mad dash for the can and then he helped me up off the floor. With a kiss to the forehead, he headed back to his seat and left me to freshen up.

"You alright there, chickadee? That was some canon ball run to the can," Rosalie said with a forced laugh, her eyes betraying her concern.

"Bad eggs," I replied with a sound that was half sigh, half groan. She grimaced and made an "Eeeuuugh" sound as she shook her head while I continued walking down the aisle.

"Hey, love...I had the stewardess bring you some crackers and a ginger ale to help calm your stomach," Edward said as he stood to let me into my seat. Once I was in it, he fluffed up the pillow he'd brought from home against the window and covered me with one of the airline blankets.

"Thanks babe," I smiled softly, nestling into the comfort and scent of his pillow.

I think I ate all of two crackers and drank a few sips of ginger ale before I passed out cold, only waking up when they announced our impending descent into Houston International.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty," Edward chuckled as he put his book away and leaned toward me. I grinned and stretched in my seat before wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing his silky soft lips. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"Yeah...I did actually," I chuckled hoarsely.

"Figured as much...you slept right through Jonathan's wails a little over an hour ago," he said as I righted my seat and prepared for landing. "Are you feeling better?"

"Much...though I'm _starving _now," I replied, wrapping my arms around his and leaning my head against his shoulder.

"We have a three hour layover. We might as well all try to find someplace to eat in the terminal while we wait," he said and then kissed the top of my head as I nodded and yawned.

Once the plane landed, we gathered all of our carry on baggage and made our way into our arrival gate. We hadn't even made it through the jet way before Charlie started grumbling about never flying coach again. Edward groaned as his head flopped back and I laughed, doing a little dance that made him smile as we kept walking.

"Thanks Dad!" I crowed.

"For what?" he asked, obviously not understanding why I was thanking him.

"For the new heated pool and deck Edward has to put in because _I won..._I won, I won, I won," I laughed, continuing my little jig.

"Bells...you sure it was the eggs? Cuz you're actin' mighty strange," he said, making me laugh even harder as he quirked a brow at me. I just shrugged, feeling fine after my long nap.

Once we made it past where passengers were waiting to board the plane we'd just exited, it was utter mayhem. I dropped all my stuff on the floor and Renee, Beth, Alice and I made a mad dash to the ladies room at the same time that Emmett, Phil, and Charlie went to find somewhere for all of us to eat, leaving Jasper, Edward, Rose and the kids behind with all our crap.

The clicking of Alice's heels - yes she was still wearing heels to the airport even while carrying diaper bags, a travel stroller and all - was making me laugh so hard I thought I was nearly about to wet myself. Every other step she'd do this little hop and pick up the pace, making her sound almost as if she were wearing tap shoes. Why I found it so funny, I have no idea, but I did nonetheless.

After some debate, it was decided that we were going to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings so all the men could watch some sports while we ate. I didn't care where it was as long as there was copious amounts of food involved...and not the kind that comes in a plastic container that's been sitting on a cooling rack for two days.

"So when are you gonna let me in on these supposed surprises?" Edward whispered in my ear as we sat, patiently waiting for our connecting flight's boarding time.

"Nah uh," I chuckled. "They're _surprises_,Edward. Doesn't work too well if you aren't actually surprised by them."

"You better not have gotten me anything for my birthday. I told you, love, last year was the best birthday I could have ever had. Nothing can ever top it because it's the day I met you," he said, his attempt at sounding stern horribly marred by the love and adoration in his tone.

_Man's gonna shit a brick when he opens his gift from me..._

"Quit you're whinin', bro. You'll love it...trust me," Emmett said as he winked at me and Rose tried to suppress a grin. They'd know because they helped me pick it out.

"I'm not whining, Em. I just don't need a gift when I have everything I could ever want or need to start with...well I will come Saturday anyway," he added as an afterthought with a chuckle.

"You're such a cheese," I snickered just as they announced the boarding of our flight.

_One down...one to go. Dear Lord...please let my buffalo chicken wrap stay in my stomach after takeoff, Amen..._

~*~

"Oh my God...Esme...they're _gorgeous_!" I gushed, my final word coming out as a mere breath as my eyes welled up with tears.

Before I could even take another breath, a friggen sob ripped out of my chest. I was crying...hysterically...over beautiful _sugar flowers_ that would be decorating our wedding cake on Saturday. Orchids, chosen because they'd been Edward's mother's favorite flower as well as one of my recent favorite flowers after our trip to Jardim Botanico the previous year...the same day I'd gotten clobbered by a jackfruit.

And they were making me cry because they were absolutely beautiful and looked amazingly real even though they were made of sugar and food coloring.

Three days we'd been on the island already and I'd burst into inexplicable tears a total of three times now. The first time was when we saw Kylie's new princess bedroom, complete with a giant canopy bed resembling Cinderella's carriage and a hand painted mural of windows looking out into her kingdom of rolling hills, castles, and lush greenery done by Esme herself. The entire room was a scene straight out of a fairy tale and it was absolutely breathtaking...and it made me cry.

The second time had been just yesterday when Alice demanded to do a final fitting on our dresses to make sure nothing needed to be altered before the wedding...and mine had somehow gotten a little too snug around my hips. I'd spent an hour crying over how I was getting fat while everyone around me, including my Grammy Marie, laughed because I was being so melodramatic over Ali needing to let the dress out by all of a half an inch.

And now it was because of sugar flowers.

What is _wrong _with me?!

"Bella...sweetheart, what's wrong?" Esme asked worriedly, handing me a wad of tissues she magically pulled from her purse.

"I don't know!" I cried, shaking my head as I pressed the tissues to my face. "These last few weeks have been an emotional roller coaster from hell for me. I'm all over the place...excited one minute, worried that I'm forgetting something important to the point that I get sick to my stomach the next, and now I'm crying over nothing."

"Bells...you need to relax," Rose chimed in, rubbing my arm soothingly. "You've been running nonstop for over two weeks. It's no wonder you're all over the map right now."

"I know...it's just...I want our day to be perfect and those stupid flowers are perfect, but what if they're the only perfect thing on our wedding day? What if it rains...or the cake topples over, or I wake up bloated on Saturday and I can't fit in my dress, or I mess up my vows...oh my God!" I wailed, horrified. "I haven't even finished writing my wedding vows and I'm getting married in two days!"

"Bella...breathe...just breathe," Alice coaxed, trying to get me to mimic her freaking Lamaze breathing like I was about to have a baby and not an anxiety attack.

"For crap's sake, Ali...I'm freaking out not going into labor," I griped, closing my eyes and trying to steady my breathing.

Everything was fine. I had no reason to panic. I'd met my deadline for the book...at the last minute but I'd met it. The flowers for the cake were beautiful. The arch Carlisle and Marcus had built and Esme and Diane had decorated is perfect. The linens for the tables and chairs and the china and crystal dinnerware had been ordered and would arrive on time, and so help me God if I had to have nothing but water for the next two days...I _would_ fit in my dress on Saturday.

"Okay...I'm good," I breathed, feeling almost centered and at least half sane again.

"Are you sure?" Esme asked concernedly.

"Yeah," I nodded, taking another calming breath. "I just need to make it through the rest of today and then tomorrow I can focus on finishing my vows when Edward's out with the guys doing their bachelor thing...whatever it is they're planning on doing...and come Saturday evening everything will be just as perfect as those flowers."

"Sweetie, I promise everything will go off without a hitch," Esme said reassuringly. "We have everything under control. Everyone's flights came in safely, Jasper and Emmett are keeping Edward busy and away from the island so he has no idea what we're planning and Carlisle and Marcus are ushering everyone to Mezcalito's as we speak."

"See, Bells? We're all good. The only thing we have to worry about now is stalling Edward long enough so that the rest of us can get to Mezcalito's before the two of you do," Rose smiled.

"Speak for yourself," Alice rolled her eyes. "I wanna know what they're doing for their little night out on the town. Jasper's been too tight lipped over it for my liking."

"Oh _please_," Rose scoffed. "They're going _fishing_, Ali. Emmett spilled the beans our first night here because I gave him the evil eye when he joked around about a strip club. They're planning on dragging Edward out on the boat tonight after the rehearsal dinner. The only boobs they'll be seeing out there on the water will be Demitri's new set of manboobs."

"Oh my God," Ali laughed as I chuckled. "You noticed that too? He's put on a pretty good chunk of weight since last year."

I smiled to myself, listening to Ali and Rose contemplate the reasons behind Demitri's current fluffiness as Esme excused herself to speak with the woman behind the bakery counter and pay for the cake we would be coming back to pick up before heading back to the island. I knew the reason behind it, and the guys were gonna be giving him hell out on the water for it too once they saw him.

"Rumor is someone's managed to lasso the notorious ladies man of the family. Apparently Mister No-strings-attached has himself a steady practically live-in girlfriend back home," I snickered as Alice gasped and Rosalie burst out laughing.

"What'd she take the notion that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach and turn it into her secret weapon to take him off the market?" Rose cackled and I shrugged.

"Irina said she's a culinary student and he's her loyal taste tester when she experiments in the kitchen, and we all know that boy loves to eat so it's no wonder he's packin' on the weight," I reasoned as we exited the bakery and headed down the street to a cafe for a quick lunch.

As the four of us were seated at a small outdoor table, Esme asked us what we'd all like to drink and then relayed our orders to the waiter in perfect Portuguese. It made me feel kind of crappy because with as hard as Edward had tried to teach me the language, the most I'd ever learned was how to ask where the bathroom was...which did me absolutely no good because I wouldn't be able to understand their answer.

I shrugged it off, figuring I'd learn it eventually, especially since Edward planned on raising our future children to be multilingual...which I thought was _awesome_.

What's better than having your kids speak to you in a foreign language other than baby babble that you can't understand, right?

_No, honey...Mommy doesn't understand Portu-talian...point to a picture on this map please or act it out charades style and if I still don't understand...then go get your father..._

I snorted to myself at the thoughts running through my head, successfully garnering some strange looks from around the table.

"What?" I asked, looking between the three of them.

"Care to explain that mysterious eye-roll and snort combo you just had there?" Ali snickered.

"It was nothing...I was just randomly thinking about how Edward wants our future kids to be able to speak both Portuguese and Italian fluently and all his attempts to teach it to me so far have been an utter failure, so I imagined this little tot of a kid stomping their foot at me trying to get me to understand what they wanted because Momma just don't speaka Portu-talian," I explained and they all burst out laughing.

"Ha ha, laugh it up because it'll be _so_ funny when it actually happens and I'm standing there like a clueless idiot," I said dryly as I pushed my menu off to the side since I couldn't understand it anyway. "And on that note...I'll have a grilled chicken sandwich...do you think they have hot sauce here?"

"What is it with you and the hot sauce lately? Ever since that buffalo chicken wrap in Houston you've been putting it on damn near everything," Rose grimaced.

"Oh dear," Esme suddenly sobered up from her laughter as she gazed at me with something akin to hope gleaming in her eyes. "The fatigue, the emotional outbursts, the upset stomachs and restless nights...honey I don't think it's from stress like we've been assuming. Bella...is there any possibility that you can be pregnant?"

"What? No...I mean, I stopped taking the pill a month ago because we planned on trying to get pregnant right after the wedding...but we've been using co..." I trailed off, looking down at my fingers as I tried to count back.

"Uh oh..." I shook my head disbelievingly as I started counting on my fingers again. This couldn't be happening...there was _no way _it could have been that easy after years of Depo shots and almost a year of the pill...and it had only been once. "Uh oh...no, no, no...I can't...we couldn't possibly..._uh oh_."

"Bella calm down...when was your last cycle?" Ali asked calmly and I counted back again.

"Two months ago...but it's been wonky ever since I came off the Depo shots. Sometimes I get it and sometimes I don't so I can't go by that," I rambled nervously as I counted back the days yet again in my head to the _one_ time we hadn't used any protection...because we'd been out...and making a trip to the store would have ruined the moment.

It didn't make sense...that night had been only a little more than two weeks before. There was no way I'd already be having any symptoms or anything. I couldn't be...but if I was...

"Do you think?..." I trailed off as a wide grin began spreading across my face just as Esme turned back around from speaking with the waiter.

"We're going to find out. The waiter's going to hold our table. There's a pharmacy just a block down, come on," she urged as she rose from her seat.

I grabbed my purse and jumped up from my chair, almost unable to contain my excitement. Once we were inside the pharmacy I practically ran through the aisles looking for a pregnancy test and grabbed the first one I spotted.

"Just take it out of the box and I'll go pay for it while you're in the restroom," Esme instructed, slightly out of breath as she held out her hand.

I ripped the box open and withdrew both sticks before handing her the box and being ushered toward the restroom by Ali and Rose. My hands were shaking as I ripped open both packages...because I apparently needed the news twice to believe it either which way it turned out, and proceeded to pull down my pants and assume the hover position.

Like a damn UFO over the public toilet, I wobbled on my feet, giggling like a crazy person to no one but myself as I tried not to get pee everywhere. When I was done, I capped both tests and wiped them off with some tissue paper, leaving them sitting on the side of the sink as I opened the door.

Four sets of eyes staring at two digital sticks for three minutes felt more like an eternity before it beeped at us and the air surrounding us stilled.

"I'm..." I breathed, grinning from ear to ear as I looked up into the mirror, staring at myself and the three women standing behind me as they all squealed in unison...

"PREGNANT!!!"

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**A/N: Okay so one of my readers and very dear friends has asked to interview me for some crazy reason I can't figure out. If there's anything you'd like to know about me or this story...or any others that I've written as I'm not really sure what all will be a part of this interview thing...feel free to leave it in a review and I'll pass it along. If any of you are actually interested in reading it once complete, let me know and I'll try to get a copy of it from her and post it here after the final epilogue of this story, or at least leave a link to it in a final author's note. See you all next week hopefully! ~Jersey~**


	39. Epilogue Part 2

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**A/N:**** Wow! You guys seriously blew me away with the review response last chapter. If I didn't get a chance to respond to your review, please know that I read it and loved it and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have all been comepletely awesome to me and your kind words and support are what keep me writing stories ^_^. So without further ado...here's Epi 2!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Any and all material related to Twilight belongs to SMeyer ^_^

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Epilogue Part 2

EPOV

"Will you two hurry the hell up? It's almost four and we have to be at Mezcalito's by six for the rehearsal dinner," I huffed, waiting for them to stop dickin' around on the dock so we could head back to the island.

All day they'd had me running around Brazil aimlessly. I'd started out my day with just two missions on mind...get a haircut and find a gift to give Bella at our rehearsal dinner, because apparently it was a tradition to give something to each other that had meaning...and thus far I'd been able to come up with _zilch_. At least nothing that carried the sentiments I wished them to.

Yeah, I could have bought her a complete collection of literary works by one of her favorite authors to show that I cared enough to know her favorite things, or a piece of jewelry that spoke of how precious she was to me...but nothing I could come up with seemed to express what I wanted it to. _Needed_ it to.

So there I sat, empty handed, irritated, and exhausted, waiting for Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum to get their asses in the boat when my phone started ringing and vibrating in my pocket.

"Hello?" I answered, pinching the bridge of my nose while the two jackasses kept at it up on the dock.

"Hey, son. Are you all on your way back yet?" Carlisle asked.

"No," I scoffed. "Hanz and Franz over here are holding us up with a game of dockside footsie."

"Did you manage to find the gift for Bella that you were looking for?" he asked and I sighed.

"No...I don't know what to get her and I'm out of time. I'll just have to make it up to her after the wedding or something," I answered, feeling like shit for having nothing to give her.

"Come find me when you get back to the house. There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about for a while now," he urged.

"Yeah sure...I should be there within the hour if I can get these two in the boat anytime soon," I grumbled.

"Put Emmett on the phone and relax, Edward...everything will work out just fine," he said reassuringly.

I mumbled out some type of uh huh before holding out the phone and yelling at Emmett to take the phone.

"Yeah?" he answered ever so courteously. "Okay..._okay_, Pop...we're on our way now, _chill_...uh huh...nope, that's fine by me. I've told you both before I'd be more than okay with that. I'd rather it be that way, honestly...okay, we're leaving now. We'll see you and Mom in a bit."

"Alright, bro. Let's go...we've got some family business waiting for us back home," Emmett grinned as he hopped in the boat, Jasper right behind him.

"Freaking _finally_, man!" I groaned, snatching my phone back from him as I started the engine and Jasper untied us.

As I sped across the water, I shot off a text to Bella asking her to set out clothes for me for tonight since I was already running late and I wasn't sure how long of a conversation Carlisle was planning on having with me. Her reply was almost instant, telling me they were already pressed and hanging in the bathroom for me. I smiled as I slid the phone back in my pocket, wondering how I'd ever managed to live without her because ever since the day she'd walked into my life...it had been virtually impossible.

Upon entering the house through the garage door, Jasper immediately headed up the steps to shower and get ready to head down to Mezcalito's as Emmett and I went in search of Carlisle.

"Dad?! Mom?! Where are you guys?" Emmett called out as I shut the door behind us.

"Dining room, honey!" Esme called back a moment later.

When we approached the table, I had to quirk a brow at her as her smile softened and her eyes began to glisten with tears when she spotted me. It was...a strange reaction for just seeing me and it wasn't like she hadn't just seen me that morning, but she just waved my questioning glance off as Carlisle motioned for us to sit at the table.

"What's up?" I asked, glancing down at my watch as my leg started bouncing, my mind calculating how much time I had left to shower and dress without making us late.

"We wanted to discuss something with both of you that, Esme and I are both aware, should have been decided upon long ago," Carlisle began speaking, making my brow furrow in confusion as Emmet nodded beside me.

"I'm not following," I admitted instantly. "What should have been decided upon long ago?"

"Which of you, our sons, would carry on the tradition of gifting this island to their bride to be," Carlisle explained, looking between Emmett and I squarely. "Edward, it's no secret that Esme and I think of you as our own and we would be honored if you would accept our offer to carry on the Cullen tradition."

"What? But it's Emmett's _birthright_ to bestow that gift," I replied and held my hands up as Carlisle and Esme both moved to speak. "Even if I was your biological son, I still wouldn't be the first born, and I get why you didn't offer it to him with Lauren, but he deserves to be able to gift it to Rosalie when their time comes."

"I don't want it, bro...and Rosalie doesn't either," Emmett cut in and I turned my head to look at him. "We've already talked about this. She knows about the tradition, and we both agree that it should be you and Bella that carry it on into future generations."

"But the tradition was brought about to keep the island in the Cullen family name. That was the purpose of the first born son carrying it forward. If I carry it forward, it won't be in the Cullen line anymore. It'll be in the Masen family line...it'll change _everything_," I argued, uncomfortable with the entire idea of what they were offering.

"No it won't," Carlisle smiled proudly, "It'll be in the Cullen-Masen line. Edward, no matter what family name is behind the deed...it will still always be in the family. The fact that you reversed your last names so you could keep our surname but still pass on your birth name to your future generations hasn't changed your status in this family in the least, and this wouldn't be the first time the tradition was carried on by someone other than the first born son. I know because I've researched it in the past when Esme and I have discussed which of you should inherit it."

"Are you guys sure this is what you really want? For me to carry on something that's been in the history of _your_ family for countless generations..." I shifted uneasily in my seat.

"It's not just part of our history, Edward," Esme said softly, encouragingly. "It's part of yours as well. We know this isn't what you were thinking of while searching for a gift for Bella, but what could express the degree of sentiment and meaning you wish it to convey to her more than gifting her a piece of yourself. A piece of our family history that only _she_ can receive because of what she means to _you_."

I sat there, looking between the three of them and feeling rather cornered by their insisting that I accept their offer. It wasn't that I didn't want it...I did and it would definitely convey what I wished my gift to Bella would...but it just felt..._wrong_. It wasn't mine to give her and that bothered the hell out of me because I felt like I was cheating Emmett and Rosalie out of something that rightfully belonged to them, and in the future, to their first born son.

"What would you have decided to do if my parent's hadn't passed away? If you hadn't ever adopted me as your own?" I asked, because I _really_ needed to know. If things hadn't happened the way they did, it would have been Jasper next in line instead of myself simply because his mother is Carlisle's biological sister.

"I'll tell you exactly what would have been decided," Jasper's voice rang out from behind me. I spun around in my seat to see him approaching the table as he finished clasping his watch around his wrist. "It would have been offered to me and, just as I'm about to do, I'd decline it but for a different reason. What that reason would have been, doesn't matter. Events from the past negate it and in the position we find ourselves in at this very moment, and your rank, for lack of a better word, in this family for the last fifteen years, places you, not me, as the next son in the ancestry line."

"Edward, the fact is...you are the only one of the three of us that has ever thought of this place as home. It's only ever been a vacation retreat to Jasper and I," Emmett spoke as he gave me a steady look, imploring me to understand what he was relaying. "It should mean more than that to whoever carries it forward. To us...it's just a tropical piece of real estate, but to you...this place is part of you in a way that it's never been a part of us. That's why it should be _you_ who continues the tradition. Not either of us."

I didn't know what to say as I looked around the table, each person appearing confident that I was the rightful heir to an estate that, for generations upon generations, had been entrusted only to those who could ensure its ownership would remain solely within the original bloodlines of the family. It was in those moments of looking into the eyes of my family...that any broken pieces of myself that still remained fused together and enabled me to say the only thing I could...

"Okay."

After a round of pats on the back, exchanged sentiments of gratitude and pride, and being handed the exact same box Carlisle had once gifted Esme that contained the deed and detailed history of the island within...I found myself struggling to comprehend the magnitude of what had just happened, and what I was about to do as I climbed the stairs.

As I entered our bedroom, I paused in the doorway, watching as Bella finished fastening an earring to her ear and a beautiful smile graced her lips. She looked heavenly, wearing an adorable flowing ivory number with a charcoal gray sash thing in the middle. I had no idea how to describe it, but she looked amazing in it, and the fact that the sleeves rested off the edge of her shoulders, leaving everything from her shoulders up to her neck bare...made it even more appealing to me.

"Hi," she said softly, still smiling as she approached me and I placed the box down on the nightstand without taking my eyes off her.

She looked different than she had earlier that morning...I couldn't pinpoint what it was but there was a definite subtle difference. She almost looked as though she were glowing..._beautiful_.

"Hi," I whispered, smiling down at her as I wrapped her in my arms and swayed us from side to side as I leaned down to brush my lips against hers, "You look wonderful. I missed you today."

"Mm," she hummed as our lips parted and her eyes opened and focused on mine. "I missed you too."

I turned suddenly, spinning us and turning her in my arms, causing her laughter to fill the air around us as I pulled her back to my chest and continued swaying us from side to side. I'd long since lost count of how many times we'd danced together like this, no music influence our movements...just the two of us being guided by the beats of our hearts.

"Two more days, love," I grinned as I took a hold of her hand and she spun away from me, smiling brilliantly and laughing happily as she turned under our lifted arms and came back to me, falling right back into our swaying step as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Only two more days," she sighed contentedly as her eyes closed, her face a perfect expression of happiness.

"So...this gift exchange thing..." I broached the subject after another quick turn and spin and bringing her back to me. "Would you mind if we did it in private...before we head over to the rehearsal dinner?"

"Not at all...I was kind of hoping for the same thing," she replied, gazing at me lovingly.

"Let me just shower real quick first," I said softly as I ducked down to kiss her once more.

"Okay," she whispered, brushing her lips against my again before pulling away and stepping out of my embrace. "I'll just go tell everyone to go on ahead without us and we'll meet them there."

I took a relaxing breath as I watched her step out of the room and then made my way into the bathroom. I showered quickly and shaved carefully...not wanting to nick myself while rushing, then toweled off and dressed. She'd matched my outfit to her own, setting me out a white undershirt, a charcoal gray button down and a pair of black dress slacks.

Standing in front of the mirror as I finished buttoning up my shirt, I decided to go the extra mile and finger some of her mousse through my hair the way the hairdresser had done after cutting it earlier. I figured it couldn't hurt to try and look my best with how beautiful she looked tonight...and then I fought for five minutes with the decision over whether or not to button the shirt up all the way.

I was stalling...I knew it...and the moment I acknowledged it, I sighed at myself and forced myself to leave the bathroom, and when I finally did, I realized I wasn't the only one anxious over the gift they were about to give. Her eyes snapped up to mine as I stepped into the room and she released her bottom lip from her fingertips.

"Can I go first?" she asked nervously. I smiled, and breathed a little chuckle to myself as I nodded and crossed the room to sit beside her on the bed. She handed me a wrapped box, complete with an ornate ribbon bow and turned on the bed to face me. "Just...promise not to laugh...I haven't actually seen it in person yet so I have no idea what it looks like."

"Bella...I'd never laugh at something you give me unless it was obvious that it was meant to make me do so," I promised as I leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

I had to stifle a chuckle when I heard her take in a steeling breath as I withdrew the box from the wrapping paper and lifted the cover off. I actually had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing outright as she leaned forward to peer into the box with me. It was blatantly obvious at that point that she'd been truthful over having not yet seen it in person because she was just as curious as I was.

As I pushed the tissue paper inside the box aside, her breath whooshed out of her chest as mine got trapped in my own, for inside that box laid a book...more specifically her yet to be released book...and on the cover of it was a long stretch of beach and the faded image of her in my arms, both of us looking at the camera. The title 'Tides of Fate' elegantly displayed above us.

"It's..." I lost the ability to form a coherent sentence.

"Us," she said quietly, as I traced my fingers gently across the image on the hardback sleeve. My eyes shot up to her own and she smiled nervously. "It's us...I mean the book...the entire story. I didn't know what to give you today until last month when I finished it...and then I couldn't think of anything better to give you than a look into myself...into us from my perspective. Every part of us is in there...from the moment Ali and Rose dragged me out of my apartment to the minute I stepped off the plane in Seattle and you were there waiting for me."

I had no idea what to say...how to tell her how amazing what she was giving me was. My eyes drifted back down to the cover of her novel, still nestled safely in the sea of tissue papers, and a nostalgic smile spread across my lips at the image of us on the beach staring back at me. I could remember the exact moment that photo had been taken.

We'd been standing on the beach just in front of Mezcalito's the afternoon before she left the island. It had been such a hard day for both of us emotionally and I'd been holding her in my arms, her legs wrapped around me, just trying to keep her as close to me as I could get for as long as possible when Kate had insisted on taking a picture of us. Neither of us were smiling, and you could see the pain in both of our expressions from the inevitability of what was awaiting us the following day. The inevitability that became an impossibility.

Yet somehow, the faded out photo of our loving embrace combined with our somber faces...it spoke volumes of what the pages within held. Our journey hadn't been an easy one, but it'd been worth every moment of heartache we'd endured along the way.

"I love it...I can't wait to read it," I told her sincerely. Truth be told, if we didn't have a rehearsal dinner to attend shortly, I'd probably have locked myself away somewhere quiet to read through it in that moment. I could recall everything I'd ever thought and felt nearly every moment of our time together on the island, but to be able to look into her mind and heart during those very same days...it was the most precious gift she could give me.

"Really? You don't think it's lame?" she asked nervously as she wringed her fingers together. "It's just...I wanted to give you something that would show you how much you changed me...how much your love healed me and how very much you mean to me. I can say I love you a million times, but those words just aren't enough to describe how entirely you possess my heart."

"Wait...if you finished this story a month ago...what have you been spending night after night working on? Isn't this what you dropped off to Angela right before we left?" I asked as the thought occurred to me that she'd been working relentlessly to finish her story for at least the past three weeks, spending night after night in her office until the early hours of the morning before collapsing in bed.

"I finished what will be the published version of this a month ago...but there were so many missing moments in it, because they were just too private to share with the entire world. That edition," she said as she pointed to the book in my hands, "Is for your eyes and your eyes _only_...which is why I didn't want you to open it in front of everyone. What everyone else will eventually read, is nothing more than a story of a fate driven romance. What you're holding...is my heart and soul, my memories, and my love...every part of me that I'd only ever wish to share with you alone."

I leaned forward, cupping her blushing cheek with my hand as I pressed my lips to hers. "It's perfect...thank you," I murmured, brushing my lips against hers before sealing my sincerity with a kiss and pulling back.

Whatever anxiety had been tamed by her half of our gift exchange, flared up instantly as I reached over to pick up the box I'd deposited on the nightstand. My palms broke out in a sweat as my fingers grasped the edges of the deceptively light package. Physically, it weighed practically nothing...but what lay within it carried so much history and tradition that the weight of its meaning defied the ability to be quantified.

I wasn't sure when, as they wouldn't have known whether or not I would have accepted their offer, but, at some point before I'd returned home, Esme had wrapped it. I only knew what rested beneath the paper because I'd seen it at least a dozen times while growing up. I'd seen the ornately carved and branded wooden box each time Carlisle had shared the story of the tradition with Emmett, Jasper, and I as kids, and I could vividly remember how the two of them would groan every time Carlisle would bring it out and tell the story again...but for some reason, I'd listen intently, enthralled by how their family had managed to maintain possession of the land throughout dozens of battles. Even then it seemed neither one of them ever wanted to be the ones to carry the weight and responsibility of the tradition.

It was in that moment of recollection that it occurred to me that it wasn't by gifting the land to the first born sons that had ensured its permanence within the family, but by gifting it to the sons that comprehended what they were being given. The island was more than just a piece of property. It was more than just miles of earth surrounded by crystal blue waters. It was a tangible piece of our family's ancestry.

As I held the box in my hands and my eyes met Bella's, I realized the irony in our gifts to each other. She'd given me a piece of our history, and I was about to give her a piece of what would eventually become our part in the history of the place where we'd met and fallen in love. Somewhere down the line, possibly centuries from this moment in time, the very same box in my hands would be handed to another bride-to-be and upon opening it, our names would be found within the pages marking those before them who had kept the tradition alive. The ones who had made it possible for it to continue to be passed on.

"Before you open this, I want you to know that this comes not just from me, but from my entire family," I told her as my heart began beating frantically in my chest, worried over how she'd react as she took the package from my hands.

As she smiled warmly at me, trapping part of her bottom lip between her teeth, I suddenly wished I'd bought one of those glass block keepsakes with the cheesy poetry on them, or a framed photo of our names in the sand within a heart or...hell anything other than what she was opening. Bella was, without a doubt, the most humble person I'd ever known and I was terrified I'd be picking her up off the floor after she fainted from seeing what's in the damn box.

"Edward," she voiced warily, her eyes jumping between my own and the unsheathed box in her lap. I instinctively moved closer to her, ready to catch her should she actually faint.

"This isn't..._oh God_," she breathed as she opened the lid and her eyes fell upon the papers held within. "It is...they gave...you're giving me..._holy shit_!" she sputtered brokenly as her eyes shot up to mine.

"I wanted to get you something that showed you how much I love you...how much a part of myself you are...but nothing I could ever buy in a store could relay the depth of what I wanted your gift to say to you for me," I explained in a rush of honesty. I'd looked everywhere and found nothing that said what I wanted it to...that even came close to showing her what my heart held for her and I could never accurately put into words.

"But...the tradition...Emmett," she breathed as her fingers traced the inked parchment papers reverently.

"Wants me to gift it to you. They all do," I replied honestly...because they did. They'd made it abundantly clear who they wished to receive it.

"Are they sure? Are _you _sure? I mean...it's just...it's..._Jesus_..." she stammered, her wide bewildered eyes flicking from mine back to the box.

"Yes, love...I'm sure...we all are," I smiled at her as I took her hand and laced our fingers together.

"Bella...honey, what's wrong?" I asked as she looked back down at the papers and swatted a tear away quickly.

"Nothing...nothing's wrong, it's just...I give you a _book_ and you and your family give me an _island_...but it's more than that...it's just...I can't even explain it," she shook her head and then sighed as she looked over at me with a soft smile and glistening eyes. "Just thinking about how many times this has been given in the past, and how thirty one years ago Carlisle gifted this to Esme, and one day we'll be passing it on to one of our possible sons and their bride-to-be...it's just...it's a lot to take in."

"Yeah...it definitely is," I smiled with a nod as I gently smoothed away a tear from her eye, careful not to smudge her makeup...and then she laughed out of the blue.

"What? What's so funny?" I asked curiously and she shook her head.

"Edward...what if we only have girls?" she asked and then laughed again.

"I...don't know," I chuckled, answering truthfully. "I guess we'll just have to figure it out when the time comes the way our family did. So...what do you want to name it?" I asked, tilting my head to the side and rubbing circles on her palm with my thumb.

"I don't," she said softly as she shook her head, "It's Isle Esme to me...in my heart it will _always_ be Isle Esme. It's such a big part of our past, I don't want to change it."

I lifted her hand to my lips and brushed my lips against her knuckles, kissing them tenderly. "You don't have to, baby. I rather like the idea of it staying exactly the same after we're married as it was the day we met," I replied reassuringly and sincerely. "Are you truly okay with this? Or are you pretending to be okay with it and freaking out on the inside again like you did on your birthday."

She laughed, clearly remembering the shit fit she'd had over the bracelet I'd given her, and gave me a quick kiss before pulling back, "Not gonna lie...kinda freaking out a bit," she chuckled as she nodded and her expression softened to one of sincerity. "But really, it's just because I know how much this place means to everyone. Thank you...I'm honored that your family, and most of all _you_, feel I deserve to be a part of the history of Isle Esme."

"Eh," I shrugged playfully, "You've managed to put up with my ass for a year straight and still want to marry me for some reason...so I guess we're even."

"Edward!" she chided, and I laughed, grabbing her hand as she swatted me in the chest. "Be serious for once."

"I am," I admitted as I pulled her into my lap. "I don't know what I've ever done to deserve having someone as amazing as you love me, but I'm grateful every day that you're in my life, and come Saturday evening, I'll be the happiest man alive just because I'll be the husband of the most wonderful and beautiful woman in the world."

"You see...that right there is why I still want to marry you," she smiled, gazing at me with nothing but adoration in the golden flecked depths of her warm brown eyes. Even after a full year of gazing into them, I could still lose myself in them.

"I love you, Edward," she whispered, soft puffs of air caressing my lips. My hand glided up her back, my fingers threading into her hair at the nape of her neck and cradled the back of her head.

"I love you, too, Bella," I answered, tilting my head to the side as I closed the barely present distance between our lips.

~*~

"Why are the shades drawn?" I asked as Bella and I pulled up to Mezcalito's in one of the resort trucks. It wasn't common for Marcus and Diane to pull down the canvas partitions around the hut. They only ever did so when it was either raining or extremely windy...and it was neither at the moment.

It was actually the perfect evening. The sun was just beginning to sink lower into the cloudless sky, the breeze was gentle and warm and only slightly balmy...there really was no reason for them to have drawn the shades.

"Who knows...maybe they're trying to keep flies out of the food or something," Bella answered with a shrug and an avoidant gaze. I narrowed my eyes at her as she hopped out of the truck quickly, not even waiting for me to come around to open her door for her, and she shot me a cheesy grin through the window after shutting the door behind her.

Something was up...something was _definitely_ up, but as I looked around me and only spotted the other truck that the rest of our family had come here in...I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it could be.

I sighed and shook my head as I opened my door and hopped down, shutting it gently behind me and taking the few strides to Bella's side. I smiled down at her as I held my elbow out to her and she hooked her arm through it as we began to make our way toward the hut.

"I did tell you how gorgeous you look tonight, didn't I?" I asked, unable to remember if I had, but knowing that even if I'd done so already, she deserved to hear it again.

"Yes," she snickered, "And thank you. You look mighty dashing yourself tonight."

"Well then...I shall forward your praises to my wife-to-be as she picked out my outfit," I smirked at her and she laughed.

"Tell her I said she's one lucky woman to be marrying such a stud as yourself," she countered amusedly.

"Ahh...but 'tis I that am the lucky one," I sighed dramatically, causing her face to scrunch up as she paused her steps and laughed heartily.

"You're such a cheese sometimes, but I love that about you," she snickered, raising up on the toes of her heels to peck my cheek. I grinned as she stepped back down and smoothed away the mark left behind from her lip gloss.

"Come on...everyone's waiting for us and we're already nearly an hour late," she smiled as she tugged on my arm.

"Surprise!! Happy Birthday!" A chorus of voices rang out suddenly just as Bella and I had turned the corner into the entrance to the hut. I stopped dead in my tracks, unable to believe what my eyes were seeing. We'd been on the island for three whole days and I hadn't seen more than half of the people that were crowded together just twenty feet or so from us.

"Wha…how…baby…what did you _do_?" I sputtered, chuckling as I looked between every one of their faces and Bella's.

"Are you surprised?" she giggled and bit her lip.

"Uh…_yeah_," I laughed and then shook my head. "How'd you plan all this without me knowing?"

"I had a little help," she grinned as she winked at Esme and Diane and led me further into the hut.

"I can't believe you guys are all here," I chuckled, looking at all the faces of every one of our friends and loved ones in awe.

I really hadn't expected any of them to be arriving until well after the wedding since we'd planned all along for it to be a small and intimate ceremony, but seeing them all here with us made me feel surprisingly…relieved. I hadn't realized until that moment how much I'd really wanted them to all be there to share our big day with us. Knowing that we'd all be together as Bella and I officially joined our lives together was the best birthday present she could have ever given me.

As we made our way through the crowd, hugging everyone, exchanging hellos and thanking them for coming, I had to pause for a moment while watching Bella chat animatedly with Dominic and a _very _pregnant Gianna, and thank, for the millionth time, whatever force brought Bella into my life. Almost from the moment I'd laid eyes on her, I'd known she was the one, but knowing that in just two days time it would become official...it was all just so surreal in how much it truly felt like a dream come true.

"You still look at her the same way as when I first met you," a warm voice floated into my ears as a gentle hand laid upon my forearm. I smiled instantly as I turned my head to the side and spotted Grammy Marie standing beside me with a loving smile upon her gracefully aged face.

"I do?" I asked as I placed my hand upon hers on my arm.

"The very same way," she nodded, looking between us and smiling back up at me once more as Bella turned and watched our exchange. "It's as if you can't believe that she's truly there and yours in every way. It's endearing and fills my heart with joy knowing the two of you have found your other halves."

"Some days it sincerely is hard to believe," I admitted as she patted my arm. "So are you still enjoying your stay so far? My family hasn't been working you too hard, have they?"

"Oh please, honey...I'm happy to be put to work for once. This past month has been nothing short of wonderful. You have such a lovely family, and they've all gone out of their ways to make me feel right at home here," she gushed happily.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it," I told her as I wrapped an arm around her slight shoulders. "I hope you're still planning on staying for the rest of the summer with us. I'd hate for you to miss all the excitement that comes along with this gaggle of clowns getting together," I laughed.

"As long as I'm not overstaying my welcome..."

"Overstaying nothing, Marie," Diane cut in with a laugh as she approached us. "You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like."

"Hello Edward, dear. Happy birthday," she smiled as she leaned up to kiss my cheek and then handed me a fresh margarita.

I'd just opened my mouth to thank her when I spotted Dominic jumping up onto a chair. My brow furrowed and both Diane and Grammy Marie turned to see what I was looking at just as he put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly, getting everyone's attention instantly.

"Missing kid alert...anyone see Vinnie anywhere?" he asked just as Carlisle came through the doors, carrying said missing child. Said missing child who appeared to have his face and hands _covered_ in icing.

"He's not missing," Carlisle chuckled. "Just trying to sneak some treats."

I had to laugh as Dominic took him from Carlisle and began chastising him for not listening and sneaking off...only to have little three year old Vinnie laugh and mush Dom's cheeks together with his icing covered hands. He was still a tiny terror, and still more adorable than anything in the world.

"Looks like he's still a little mischief maker," Bella snickered as she came to stand beside me.

"Della! Della!" Vinnie crowed excitedly, spotting Bella and squirming up something fierce in Dominic's arms as Gianna tried wiping him clean.

"Uh oh...You've been spotted, love," I chuckled down at her as she smiled at him and blew him a kiss.

"So it seems," she giggled, stepping toward her grandmother and kissing her cheek. "Hey Grammy...the kids haven't been driving you nuts today, have they?"

"Not at all, they make me feel twenty years younger," she chuckled and then winked at Bella as she moved to walk away and spoke over her shoulder. "I can't wait to have some great grandbabies of my own to spoil rotten."

"What was that all about?" I asked curiously, referring to the wink and ear to ear grin she'd had as she turned away.

"No idea," Bella answered and then cleared her throat a series of times, "I think I need a drink. Do you want anything?" she asked, her voice strained slightly as if she was about to cough...which instantly worried me.

"I'm fine...are you okay?" I asked as I cupped her shoulder and caressed her skin with my thumb.

"Fine...just got a little...spittle stuck in my throat," she said and then cleared her throat again before smiling and stepping away.

I watched her head over to the bar and ask Kate for a drink before I turned away to finish greeting everyone. Maddie yapped my ear off for a solid five minutes straight, telling me all about how she was going to be a big sister soon because Mommy and Daddy wanted to have another baby. It seemed with Alice and Jasper just having Jonathan, Gianna being pregnant, Felix and Julie wanting to have another one, and Bella and I looking forward to trying to start our own family...this was going to be a big year for babies in the family.

I looked over at Bella when Maddie started asking me if Bella and I were going to have a baby soon so her baby brother or sister could have a best friend in the summers like she and Renata are. It was no secret in the family at that point that Bella and I were going to start trying to conceive right after the wedding, and she'd already gone off the pill a month ago, but I couldn't help but grin down at Maddie when I told her that we would definitely try while silently hoping we'd be swaddling our own bundle of joy come this time the following year, much the same as Jasper and Alice were.

I wasn't sure how long we'd have to wait before it happened, but whenever it did happen, I knew we'd be ready for him or her. Hell, two months ago I'd started doing revisions to one of the spare bedrooms in the house when Bella wasn't home, turning it into a hopefully soon to be used nursery. I'd finished it just a week shy of our departure for the island and had shown it to Bella late one night...just after I'd finished applying the final coat of white paint to the inset shelves I'd built. I hadn't known what color to paint the room, so I'd chosen a light taupe figuring it was gender neutral and would go with pretty much anything we put in there. She'd instantly begun tearing up as she walked into the room, hands clasped over her mouth as she turned in slow circles taking it all in...and stopping right at a stenciled scripture I'd painted on the wall right above where I'd figured she'd place the crib.

It wasn't anything extravagant or "overly cheesy" as she would say, well, at least I didn't think so. It just simply said "We made a wish and you came true." I'll never forget the beautiful smile on her face, even with the tear tracks running down her face as she turned to me and told me it was beautiful and perfect, and that she couldn't wait for the day we'd bring him or her home to their room.

Like I said, we were ready and excited to be starting our own family.

"Thank you," I whispered to her softly after I'd finished making way through the crowd. "You have no idea how happy you've made me."

"Good, I'm glad…I was hoping you wouldn't be upset because I know we said we wanted a small wedding…but I just couldn't imagine not having everyone here for it," she smiled in relief up at me as she wrapped her arms around me.

"Is this why you've been letting Emmett and Jasper keep me so busy the past few days? So you could sneak everyone onto the island without me knowing about it?" I chuckled leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"May-be," she sang mirthfully as she brought a pastry hors d'oeuvre up to her lips. She took a bite of it and then grimaced, immediately using her napkin to expel it from her mouth.

"Is your stomach still bothering you?" I asked worriedly. Eating had been hit or miss with her the past few days. Some things would just upset her stomach for no apparent reason and she kept getting hit with headaches and bouts of inexplicable fatigue.

I was really worried that she was starting to come down with the flu again as she'd gone through all the same symptoms for a week straight over the winter before it had hit her hard. By the third day of her battle with it she'd had to be hospitalized because she couldn't hold anything down, liquid or otherwise. It had scared the ever living hell out of me to see her that way, so weak and pale, hooked up to IVs and wires connected to constantly beeping machines.

"No...my stomach's fine today. It just tasted...off," she replied, scrunching her nose.

"Let me know if you start feeling unwell and we'll go home, okay?" I told her as I brushed the back of my fingers across her cheek.

"I'm fine, Edward. I promise," she smiled, leaning up for a kiss which I gladly gave her.

As the evening progressed, we danced, laughed with everyone, drank...well I did, Bella didn't, but I hadn't expected her to with the way her stomach had been acting lately. While sitting at the table with Bella on my lap, taking a break from dancing and mingling, I listened to the guys razzing Demitri over his recent weight gain. I didn't think he'd gained all _that__much_ weight, yeah he'd gotten a little fluffy but with the way Emmett, Jasper, Felix, and Dominic were going at him, you'd think he'd turned into a Sumo wrestler or something since we'd last seen him...and Jasper really had no room to talk.

He'd gained quite a bit of sympathy weight while Ali had been pregnant. She'd lost all of her baby weight...he still hadn't...which Em delighted in taking note of by calling him Pudgy McDougal. Just watching them had me nervously rubbing my own stomach, wondering if I'd packed on some pounds as well over the last year.

"Quit it," Bella laughed, catching where I was looking and how I was rubbing my stomach. "You're still just as drool worthy as you were the first time I ever saw you with no shirt on."

"Drool worthy, huh?" I smirked and she nodded as she leaned in to kiss me.

"Definitely," she purred as she pulled away, and suddenly I feared her standing from my lap. That one little word in that seductive tone was enough to cause a stirring beneath her. Insatiable...that's the only way to describe myself around her.

Not ten minutes later did Esme and Diane come from the kitchen carrying a giant cake covered in candles and singing the beginning lines of the birthday song and getting everyone else to join in. I couldn't do anything but laugh as they all gathered around me and Bella stood from my lap, standing at my side with a hand on my shoulder as the placed the flaming cake in front of me.

As the end of the song grew near, I looked around the room, knowing they'd be telling me to make a wish in just moments. I had everything I could have ever hoped for or dreamed of right in that very room. What was left to wish for aside from everyone's health and happiness and for our family to continue to grow in years to come...so as they urged me to blow out the candles...that's what I wished for.

"Time for presents!" Esme clapped and I groaned.

"Come on, guys! I didn't want anything, you all knew this!" I griped, but they just laughed at me.

"My God...you sound more and more like Bella every day," Rose guffawed as Bella shook with laughter beside me.

"Oh Edward...if it helps, it's just one gift from all of us to both of you. Consider it your wedding gift if you must," Esme chided good naturedly as she handed me an envelope.

I quirked my brow at her as I took it from her hands, curious as to what was inside of it, but slightly wary at the same time. I wasn't sure how much more I wished to accept from them after them having given Bella and I Isle Esme.

"Open it," Bella urged.

"You already know what's in it, don't you?" I pouted up at her.

"No...no one would tell me even though I've been hounding them for _months_," she snickered, bouncing slightly in excitement.

I just smiled and shook my head as I turned my attention back to the fairly large envelope and began opening it...and when I pulled out its contents, I nearly jumped out of my seat in excitement.

"Bora Bora? Are you guys serious? You bought us a honeymoon in _Bora Bora_?!" I crowed.

"Top of the line, my man. We spared no expense...though split between like thirty people it barely cost a thing," Demitri chuckled.

I didn't even know what to say to them. Bella and I hadn't bothered to plan a honeymoon since we'd be in a tropical paradise anyway.

"Thank you...really, this is...it's..._amazing_," I stammered, looking up at everyone as Bella gasped and "oh my God-ed" at nearly every photo she browsed.

They'd purchased an incredible eight day honeymoon package, complete with a private villa built over the water in the lagoon between the Tahitian islands. The villas even had glass windows in the flooring in the bathroom and beneath the coffee table to view the sea life beneath you. It was _astounding_...and tremendously more luxurious than Bella or I would have _ever_ chosen for ourselves.

"We just hope you'll both enjoy it and soak up the relaxation after these last few crazy months," Renee smiled, Beth, Charlie, and Phil all nodding in a line beside her.

"Thank you all _so much_," Bella sniffed, a little emotional over their generosity.

"It was the least we could do..." Carlisle started kindly, only to be cut off by Felix.

"Yeah...for us. We all just figured if you're thousands of miles away, we won't have to witness or hear you two going at it like rabbits."

"Felix!" Julie screeched, slapping him on the arm and smiling at us apologetically. "Don't mind him...please."

I couldn't do anything but laugh with the others as Bella turned crimson in my lap and Charlie shuffled his feet, looking wholly uncomfortable just a few feet from us. I felt for him, truly I did, but it was just ungodly funny to me in that moment.

We spent a while listening to everyone ramble off who chose what and each of the extras they'd included into the package, such as the romantic butler serviced dinner for two, various spa packages and such. They'd sincerely made it so our vacation was planned from start to finish, ensuring that we'd get to experience the best of the islands.

"Alright, alright...we've got one present left to go," Emmett boomed, quieting all the chatter around us. "And this one's just from Bella."

I gave her a disapproving look, to which she just stuck her tongue out at me and took another envelope from Rosalie's hands to hold out to me.

"Bella...you really shouldn't have," I admonished, sighing slightly as I flipped the envelope over in my hands.

"Consider it payback for what you gave me earlier," she smirked, patting me on the shoulder. I just snorted and shook my head as I opened it and withdrew a stack of photos...which confused me...until I flipped them around.

"You bought me a friggen _boat_?" I blurted as my eyes nearly fell out of my head.

"Yep...that I did," she chirped, laughing slightly as I flipped through the photos. I shook my head, smiling and incredulous because for someone who severely disliked receiving extravagant gifts, she sure as hell knew how to purchase them for others.

She'd taken pictures of the interior, the beautiful dark cherry cabinetry and granite counters in the galley, the pristine white leather couches in the main cabin seating area with panoramic windows, and each of the three staterooms below deck. The interior was stunning, but the exterior was sleek with smooth lines and each picture perfectly exhibited its beautiful craftsmanship. I'd only gotten to about the fourth or fifth one when I had to stop.

It was a picture of the back of the boat, where its name was proudly displayed in an elegant script. _Fated Romance. _

"I thought it was fitting, with how we met and fell in love and also with your profound love of the ocean, but you can change it if you'd like," she said quietly, picking up one of the photos I'd placed on the table to pass to Kate beside her.

"It's perfect...I wouldn't want to change it for the world, but love, what on Earth compelled you to buy me a boat of all things?" I asked curiously. It wasn't that I didn't like the boat, it was an absolutely gorgeous sports yacht and nearly fifty feet from what I could tell, but I couldn't fathom why she'd feel the need to spend _so much _money on me.

"Because when we're up in Seattle, I can tell how much you miss being out on the ocean with the guys, and I figured once you all get Dad out there...there'll be no going back for him," she chuckled. "I just figured it'd be nice for you all to be able to enjoy what you love doing so much down here back home."

"I love it, baby. Thank you," I said sincerely as I pulled her down in my lap with everyone aww-ing around us.

"Hey Jas...you know what this means, right?" Emmett piped up.

"Yeah...if the boat's a rockin', don't come a-knockin'!" Jasper chortled beside him as they bumped shoulders. Idiots.

Poor Charlie looked as though he was about to run for the hills...or slam his hands over his ears and start singing "la-la-la" over and over again at the top of his lungs. Thankfully, Carlisle got everyone's attention quickly and began herding everyone out of the hut and down to the beach, giving us a moment of privacy together as they set everything up for a quick run through of the march down the aisle.

"I hope this was the last of the surprises," I murmured as she pulled her lips away from my own. "Because I'm not sure I can handle another of this size."

"I've got one more...but you'll have to wait until Saturday," she whispered in my ear and then kissed the corner of my jaw as I groaned quietly.

"Come on, _love_," she winked at me as she stood from my lap and toed off her shoes. "We have a wedding procession to organize."

"I've never understood why walking down an aisle necessitates a practice run," I mused with a chuckle as I stood from my chair. "Really, the music starts, the bridesmaids and everyone start walking, and once they're all up there everyone stands and the bride and her father begin their march."

"I don't know...it has something to do with the timing to the music, I think," she snickered, smiling. "Ask Ali...she's running this show tonight."

Within twenty minutes of taking my place in front of the imaginary-yet-to-be-placed-there altar, I realized why there is, indeed, a need to these practice runs. On one run, the girls had made it up there too fast and were standing there waiting for the musical cue for Bella and Charlie to start walking. On another one, they'd made it up there too slowly and the cue passed. On yet _another_ one, Bella hadn't been paying attention because she'd been laughing with Charlie over something that I couldn't hear from where I stood and the whole thing wound up being a total crapshoot as they laughed and he ran down the aisle with her tossed over his shoulder.

"Okay! Alright!" Alice cracked up. "One last time, and I swear we better get it right this time because my margarita glass is empty!"

"Maddie? Sweetie, what's wrong?" I asked, noticing her sitting off to the side with her arms crossed over her chest, tears running down her face and the mother of all pouts known to mankind across her lips.

"I wanna be a fwower girwl," she cried, and I had to bite my lip to keep from smiling as I walked over and knelt down beside her. She'd learned how to pronounce her r's fairly well, but her l's still sounded like w's, and it was cuter than anything.

"You wanna be a flower girl?" I asked her as I tucked a lock of her curls behind her ear.

"N-eah," she pouted, rubbing at her eye as she nodded.

"Aww, c'mere angel," I said softly as I stood and lifted her in my arms to go find Bella.

I hated the idea of her crying because she wanted to be a part of the wedding. As far as I'd known up until walking into the hut, she wouldn't have even been here for it and we wouldn't have even had a ring bearer. It was only supposed to be Kylie joining the girls as the flower girl, but now we had Angelo as the ring bearer because he was nearly the same age as Kylie and he'd been excited to be a part of it.

"Love," I called out as I approached her and Charlie.

"Yeah?" she laughed as she turned to look at me, and then panicked when she saw Maddie's face. "Oh _no_...what's wrong?"

"Someone's a little upset because she wants to be a flower girl, too," I replied, brushing the wetness of her tears from her cheeks with the backs of my fingers.

"Well...I think you'd make an _adorable_ little flower girl. Do you want to walk in front of Kylie and Angelo, sweetie?" she asked and I couldn't help but grin at her as Maddie nodded and smiled while holding her arms out for Bella to take her. It was definitely true...I was marrying the most wonderful woman in the world.

"I love you," I told her from the bottom of my heart as I leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"I know you do, and I you," she chuckled. "It'll be okay. Esme and I can go tomorrow to find her a dress and she can walk in front of Kylie and Angelo. I'll just have to stop by the florist and order another bouquet for her to carry."

With the crying crisis averted, we made our umpteenth attempt at the wedding procession, and by some divine miracle, managed to nail it. I was almost convinced we'd just needed an extra set of feet in the procession to get the timing right.

For anyone getting married in the future, I'd highly suggest either live music or a DJ at the very least to be able to adjust the timing of processional music to whenever it needed to change instead of using a prerecorded CD. That's priceless advice right there, and some I was almost wishing someone would have given us...because trying to get it right had been a _disaster_.

And then, of course because we'd gotten it right, Drill Sergeant Alice Whitlock made us run through it three more times just to be sure we all - well they all really...all I and the groomsmen had to do was stand there - had it down pat.

Once we'd all gathered again inside the hut, Esme handed Bella and I a knife and we started cutting into our combined birthday and rehearsal dinner cake. It was quite the amusing sight seeing both happy birthday and future Mr. & Mrs. Cullen-Masen messages scripted across the cake.

"Dude...cut me a big one!" Demitri boomed from the table beside where we were standing. I just laughed and nodded, cutting away the piece Vinnie had obviously gotten into with his hands to set off to the side.

"Like you need it Fluffaluffagus!" Alec laughed loudly.

"Cut him one too! Stickman McTwiggyson could use some meat on his bones!" Toby shouted and I had to do a double take.

"Jesus, man! Who are you and what'd you do with that quiet shy kid that was here last year?" I guffawed as everyone laughed.

"Wise guy fits right in now, don't he?" Alec shook his head as he pointed across the table where Jane was leaning on Toby cracking up.

"Ehhh...let him alone. It's good to see him join in like that. Hey, in what millennium do _you_ plan on getting a girlfriend in so you can stop razzing everyone else about theirs?" I shot out at him and the little shit turned flaming red instantly. I chuckled heartily as I stood straight up and pointed the cake knife at him.

"You've already got one!" I called him out as his head dropped back.

Within seconds Demitri was out of his chair and chasing Alec around the hut for razzing him constantly for the last day and a half over him suddenly getting all domesticated with a girl when he'd had one back at home as well. It really was a wonder why they both just didn't bring their girlfriends with them. They should have known they would have been more than welcome to.

Our family practically followed "the more the merrier" concept as a religious commandment.

"It's too bad we can't get everyone together like this more than once a year. I really missed it," Bella sighed next to me with a content smile on her face.

I leaned in and kissed her temple, "Me too, baby...me too."

With the cake all served, and everyone seated at their tables, the numerous conversations within the hut created a dull roar that had everyone nearly shouting across tables so the person they were speaking to could hear them. Bella and I were off in our own little world though, feeding each other cake with Vinnie perched on Bella's lap because apparently he wouldn't sit still for anyone else...well that and he was having the time of his life feeding himself big hunks of Bella's cake. It seemed as though he'd picked up right where he'd left off the summer before with his attachment to "_his _Della."

Yeah...I'd gotten schooled in ownership of my fiancé by a three year old, much to _everyone's_ amusement...including Bella's.

"Oye! Listen up!" Emmett's loud voice boomed through the hut as he clinked his margarita glass with a spoon.

"Nice intro there, ya brute," Jasper chortled.

"Cork it, _Lurch_," Emmett grinned, pointing his spoon at him.

"Alright...now I know these speeches are normally reserved for the wedding reception, but at the earlier request of the bride-to-be who just wishes for all of us to have a blast at their luau style ho-down and throw tradition to the wind...I'm taking it upon myself to grace all of you wonderful people with the speech I'd finally finished writing the day before she kicked me in the gut with her request not to make one," he said and then started laughing as Bella blushed in embarrassment beside me.

"It's just because she knew you'd embarrass the heck out of them, Em!" Kate laughed heartily as Emmett focused his gaze in on Bella.

"Oh Belly-welly my sweet little baby girl, Belly," he sang, winking at her as I laughed and she tried to hide in my arm. "It's been one heck of a year, little one."

"Please make him stop," Bella pleaded into my arm, but I couldn't do anything but laugh...though I knew I'd be begging her for the same thing shortly. Lord only knew what he'd have to say to me.

"Now...not many of you here today know the different versions of Edward's precious little Bella as well as Alice, Rosalie, and I do...and let me be the first to enlighten all of you...she ain't as sweet as she seems."

"I'm gonna die," Bella muttered, pressing her face against my shoulder.

"But if there's one thing I've learned about her over the last year, with _undeniable_ certainty...it's that there couldn't be a single woman alive out there who'd be a better match for our Edward," he grinned widely as her head popped up and her gaze focused in on him. It was almost instantly that the tears began filling her eyes and her bottom lip and chin began quivering.

"I mean, come on...any woman that can turn our family brooding grouch into the charismatic, lively, and jolly man we see today has to be pretty dang amazing, right?" he asked the room, receiving a round of whistles and cheers along with clanking glasses.

"In all sincerity, Bella, from the bottom of my heart and every heart in this room, we all love you and thank you for just being you, because you are _exactly_ what the man sitting beside you needed to begin living again. Welcome to the family, little one," he finished, raising his glass to her as she wiped away at her eyes.

"Thank you, Em," she croaked, her throat tight with emotion. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple as I caressed her arm softly.

"Eddie, brother man, don't think you're getting out so easily," Em chuckled as everyone laughed. I just shook my head and smiled at him, waiting for what I knew would wind up being one hell of a roast.

"I thought long and hard about what to say to you today. I thought about giving you marital advice...but as we all know here...I'm probably not the best one for that job," he sniggered, getting a round of laughter from around the room.

"And then I thought about bringing up embarrassing stories from your past, but while that'd undoubtedly be entertaining for most of the people in this room who had witnessed those glorious moments of humiliation...they don't really define you very well," he smirked and my eyes widened like saucers because I immediately knew where he was heading. He and Jasper had ragged on me every chance they got for two straight _months_ afterwards.

"Emmett," I warned, unable to keep a slight smile from tugging at my lips and he just laughed in my face.

"Now I'm sure all of you here can see how deeply this man before us loves the beautiful woman to his side, but I'm going to tell you a little story that proves just how _incapable_ of living he is without her by his side.

"As most of you have heard by this point, when Bella left the island last summer, Eddie here barely made it a few hours before he was hightailing it out of here and chasing after her...very romantic, right?" he asked getting another round of whistles and cheers.

"From the moment they were reunited in Seattle, he was inseparable from her. You couldn't pry him from her side for more than a few hours at a time with a crowbar if you'd tried...so what happened seven months later when she spent a weekend out of town for some bridal expo with the girls and he stayed behind?"

"Em..._really_. This isn't..." I started, laughing as I tried pleading with him but he cut me off.

"He spent two and a half days eating cold pizza and drinking warm beer in his sweatpants and a t-shirt from his _high school _days...which by the way, bro, is _way_ too small for you to still be trying to wear...that Bella had worn to bed the night before while snuggled up on their living room couch with her pillow and her fluffy cotton candy pink bathrobe as a blanket," he finished as nearly every man in the place was laughing their ass off and every woman beside him was smacking him while making "aww that's so heartbreakingly adorable" faces at me.

"Was it really that bad for you that weekend?" Bella asked, her voice wavering as she tried her damnedest not to laugh.

"It gets worse...just wait," I chuckled, hanging and shaking my head in shame.

"Now of course, there's no way he would have ever _allowed _anyone to see him that way...so the question now is, how did I come to know this little tidbit of information, right?" he asked and of course every prick in the room urged him on like he was selling the next must have and impossible to live without new gadget on a three am infomercial...which sadly I admit I'd watched too many of over that weekend and very nearly called to order some of that junk.

"You see, Edward here was a bit distracted that first morning and forgot to turn off his laptop webcam after a video conference we'd had with a potential client," he said.

"I was _not _distracted," I laughed, shaking my head.

"Oh yeah you were...don't try to deny it. Jasper and I _both_ saw Bella walk by in the background in just your high school track and field shirt, so it was either you were distracted, or you lost about a hundred IQ points from pulling your brain out by the roots of your hair because you tug on it anytime anyone mentions the words Bella's leaving," he laughed, as did everyone else including myself because my hand did, in fact, go up on its own to run through the back of my hair.

"Hey, _hey_...in my defense...I didn't tug," I chuckled as Bella shook at my side, wrapping her arm around mine.

"Yeah, I'll give ya that...and it's a good thing too because if you keep that up you'll be bald by thirty, man," he chuckled as we all laughed.

"Alright back to the story. So while this man spent the weekend sprawled out on their couch, Jasper and I spent the weekend on mine with a bowl of popcorn, watching the live feed of "_Desperate Househusband_" and making bets on how many times in an hour he'd pick up the cordless phone to make sure it hadn't died and that he hadn't missed a call from Bella...even though he hadn't been more than two feet from it the entire time. When the phone actually _would_ ring, he'd shoot up on the couch and you'd swear the thing was covered in grease or he was playing hot potato with it with how he'd fumble to answer it," he spieled on and I cut him off.

"That's because it _was _covered in grease with all the pizza and chips I ate," I laughed heartily.

"I'll take your word on that, bro, but from where we sat...it looked more like someone had zapped you with a cattle prod," he chortled as I just shook my head and smiled because his statement was actually more accurate than my own. "So Sunday evening rolls around, and Mr. Pitiful is still lounging on the couch, in the same clothes, un-showered and unshaven, when Rosie calls to tell me they're about forty five minutes from home. And, because I'm such an _awesome_ brother, I hung up with her and immediately called Edward, figuring I'd give him a warning so he could clean the place up before Bella got home..."

"You're full of _crap_!" Jasper guffawed. "You turned to me and said, and I quote, "Fifty bucks says he has the place spic and span and he's showered and shaved in under a half hour."

"You're right...I did, and I made fifty bucks that night, too, because as soon as Edward heard the words Bella's on her way home, he fell off the couch and started sliding around the living room in his socks trying to pick up all the empty beer bottles, pizza crusts, and chip crumbs from all over the coffee table, couch, and floor. Twenty six minutes later he slides back into the living room and throws himself on the couch again only to realize Bella's robe is still tossed over the back of it and has to jump back up to run it back upstairs," he rambles as everyone laughs, including myself.

"Now, we didn't _see_ this part, because it was out of the viewing frame of the webcam, but we did _hear_ him trip up the stairs and cuss loudly before flying back down a minute later and throwing himself back on the couch and grabbing the remote to pretend he was channel surfing when Bella walked in the door all of two minutes later. And this smooth son of a gun gets up off the couch and goes to greet her all calm as day as if he hadn't just spent the last two and a half days acting like a puppy whose owner had left him behind," he finally finished...well at least I _hoped_ he was finished for my dignity's sake.

What was left of it anyway.

"Edward, my brother," he grinned, tilting his glass at me, "You are, without a doubt, the _chick_ in your relationship," he paused as everyone busted out laughing. "But seeing as how you've been happier this past year than we've _ever_ seen...we're willing to overlook that fact."

"Now if everyone would kindly raise their glasses to the bride and groom to be," Em requested as he looked around the room with his glass held high. "May your futures be filled with love and happiness, may your days be filled with laughter and your nights with passion, and for the love of everything holy, may you, Edward, _permanently_ retire the remains of your high school wardrobe to Bella's side of the closet."

"Salute!!" Everyone cheered, sipping from their glasses as Em finally stepped down from his self imposed podium.

"You know," Bella chuckled quietly in my ear. "I kept wondering why my robe smelled like you after I came home."

"What can I say, love? It was a memento from one of the best nights in my life and it smelled like you," I admitted, tilting my head to press a kiss to her cheek as Rosalie stood from her seat.

"I hope you all don't expect me to be as long winded as this big lug beside me," Rosalie chuckled, "Because if I get started on embarrassing stories, we'll _all_ miss the wedding."

I couldn't help but laugh my ass off at that, because I was fairly sure she was telling the truth. Over the last year I'd heard more tales of hilarity from their youths than I could possibly count, and I'd be hard pressed to pick out which one had been the funniest or most memorable.

"Edward...what can I say? You are one of a kind. You're sweet, sincere, sensitive, romantic, funny, loyal, a great dancer, and you have a superb sense of fashion and interior design...are you sure you're not gay?" she asked, quirking a brow at me and we all cracked up.

"Yes, I'm absolutely certain I'm not gay, Rose," I laughed heartily.

"Just checking," she winked, making me laugh even harder. "All kidding aside, though, I have to agree with Emmett here when I say that I truly believe you and Bella were made for each other for she is most definitely the _dude_ in your relationship, and Bells, don't even try to deny it because that pink robe he was cuddled up with for that weekend _had_ been white when you'd stolen it from the hotel in Rio."

"I didn't steal it!" Bella chortled.

"Okay, fine," Rose snickered, "You permanently borrowed it then, which I'm sure anyone who knows the history behind those robes as _intimately_ as I do would be thankful for your moment of kleptomania."

"Kehkeh!" Vinnie suddenly crowed, slapping a forkful of cake against my cheek and, _thankfully_, interrupting Rosalie's toast. No one in that room needed to know that robe was from the night I'd first proposed to Bella, and what we'd done in said robes. It was bad enough that Rosalie, and undoubtedly Emmett, knew about it...and the former had actually _witnessed_ it.

"Thanks, buddy," I sniggered, grabbing the napkin off the table to wipe it off as Bella snickered, blushing just as red hot as I was, and took the fork from him before we returned our attention to Rosalie who winked at the pair of us with a victorious smile at the sight of our reddened faces.

"But looking at the two of you now, it matters not which of you wears the pants in the relationship for the strength of love that you share together is worthy of being envied by every person in this room and beyond. Bella..." she trailed off, tearing up as she looked between us.

"Oh, Rosalie," Bella sighed, the sight of Rosalie getting emotional causing her to as well.

"Woo...okay. Sorry about that," she chuckled, still wiping away at her eyes as Emmett swung an arm over her shoulder. "Bella, I've known you longer than I've known just about anyone in my life. I can't even remember when or how we met, but over the years I've come to know you as well as I know myself. You are and forever will be my best friend, my loved one, my sister. Edward, the changes I've seen in her since the day she met you are nothing short of miraculous. You bring out the very best in her, the parts that she's always been too shy and self conscious to allow others to see. She's a beautiful person inside and out, and because of you, everyone around her can now see that just as clearly as I've always been able to.

"So without further ado, if you would all raise your glasses in toast to the bride and groom-to-be," she requested, smiling warmly at us. "I wish you both all of the happiness in the world in your marriage. May the tears you shed always be from joy and laughter and may the strength of your love always be the comfort you share when they are not, and for the sakes of your own and your future children's wardrobes, may you, Bella, learn how to do laundry _properly_."

"Salute!!" everyone cheered again as we all raised our glasses.

After a few more toasts made by others, including Alice and Jasper, Bella's parents, and Carlisle and Esme, Bella and I thanked everyone for their wishes and heartfelt words, and eventually got around to giving out the gifts we'd bought for everyone in the wedding party. Before I even knew where the night had gone, it was after midnight and Bella and I were wrapped in each other's arms in the middle of the floor, swaying back and forth to a song that had long since ended, unwilling to have the night end.

"Edward, let's go man. We wanna get out there and catch a few hours of sleep before the fish start bitin," Em urged for the tenth time in as many minutes.

"You should really get going," Bella chuckled, smiling up at me. "Before he makes you bunk with Demitri...I hear he's a big time spooner."

"Not funny, love," I sniggered. "I can think of a thousand better ways to spend a night other than having that big lug snoring in my ear. I much prefer your light snores to his chainsaw racket."

"I do _not _snore," she scoffed incredulously, making me laugh because she does actually have a tendency to snore quite loud when she's exhausted.

Once, while we were on her book tour, it got so bad I had to spend a night on the hotel room couch because she was bringing the roof down in the bedroom. I never told her about it, I just set the alarm on my phone for twenty minutes before her own and pretended I'd gotten up early to bring her breakfast in bed.

"Are we gonna have to pull you two apart?" Jasper laughed and I stealthily gave him the finger behind Bella's back.

"Not on your best hair day you sexy beast you," Jasper teased, throwing me a flirtatious wink and kiss before laughing again. "Now light a fire under your ass before I kick your bag out of the master stateroom and call dibs on it myself."

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," I chuckled.

"Not tonight you're not...at least not without the help of Rosie Palm and her five sisters," Alec guffawed.

"Bah dun dun!" Dominic chimed in, laughing heartily.

"You guys are such idiots," I shook my head, sniggering under my breath.

"What's the saying that goes with this moment?" Alec mused. "Birds of a feather flock together?"

"Nah...it's the nuts don't fall far from the trees, man, cause we're family not just friends," Felix countered.

"Okay...I'm gonna go before they start getting out of hand," I sighed, ducking my head down to give Bella a kiss goodbye. I really didn't want to spend the next two nights apart from her, but I had about as much chance of getting out of it as I did of Ed McMahon showing up on my doorstep the following morning with a check for ten billion dollars.

"I'll miss you," Bella murmured against my lips and kissed me twice more.

"And I'll be waiting for you in front of the altar at sunset on Saturday evening," I responded softly, grinning from ear to ear.

"Love you," I sighed as I hugged her tightly to me, lifting her off the floor in my arms.

"I love you, too. Have fun and be careful out there. No fishy hooks in arms or missing appendages from hostile crab attacks," she laughed as she playfully pushed me toward the guys.

"We'll wrap him in bubble wrap just for you, Belly-boo," Emmett laughed, hooking an arm around my shoulders and leading me down toward the docks where Carlisle's yacht was awaiting us.

Once on board, I turned around on the deck and waved back at Bella, smiling as the countdown in my head continued counting off the hours until we'd be standing before each other at the altar.

_Only forty two hours and twenty seven minutes left to go..._

"Edward, man...you really ready to walk the plank on Saturday or are you gettin' cold feet? Cause I still got time to woo her out from under ya," Demitri joked as he slapped me on the back. I just turned and grinned at him.

"Hey, Demitri...How do you keep an idiot busy for hours?" I asked as I quirked a brow at him. He seriously thought about it for a moment, his brow furrowing until he shrugged and asked, "Beats me...how?"

And with that I walked away, heading into the cabin and toward the master stateroom, leaving them all laughing behind me as Demitri continued to ask how you keep an idiot busy for hours because he didn't get it.

I toed off my shoes and stripped down to my undershirt and boxers before digging in my bag, taking out the book Bella had given me, and getting comfortable in the bed. I spent just a moment admiring the image of us on the strip of beach in front of Mezcalito's before opening it and feeling my heart nearly burst as I read the dedication page that preceded the first chapter.

_For my Edward,_

_Trying to resist our love was like trying to stop the rising and falling of the tides._

_Forever Yours,_

_Bella _

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**A/N: For those of you who are interested, some new images have been posted to the ToF photobucket album relating to this chapter. You can check em out here ~ photobucket(dot)com/Tides-of-Fate**

**Also, I found an awesome video for where I pictured their honeymoon in Bora Bora to be...you can check that out here ~ www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=a18mQTEbGAo&feature=related**

**Hope you enjoy them ^_^. Epi 3 will be up as soon as I can finish writing it and get it edited. Thank you all so much for your continued reviews and support. You guys are friggen awesome! ~Jersey~**


	40. Epilogue Part 3

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**A/N****: Oh man *sniffles* Say it ain't so! This is the next to last chapter of ToF, Gah! Okay enough of my emo-ness LOL. As always with chapters that have visual descriptions, images have been added to the ToF photobucket album for this chapter. Link in profile if ya feel like checkin it out. ^_^ With any luck, the last installment of this epi series will be ready to post within the next week or two so I can dive into some other projects. For those of you who read Anywhere but Here and are anxiously awaiting its sequel, The Road Not Taken, as soon as ToF's final chap is posted, Jules and I will be working day and night focusing all of our attention on working through the plot kinks we're currently having so we can begin writing and posting it ASAP. As soon as the ball gets rolling on that story, I'll probably be starting another solo project, so if you're interested, throw me on author alert or follow me on Twitter to keep up to date on any projects I'm working on. It's been an awesome ride with all of you, and I thank each and every one of you who have left me the overwhelming number of reviews I've received for this story. Enjoy the update my lovelies!**

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Disclaimer: Any and all material related to Twilight belongs solely to SMeyer. Any and all material related specifically to Tides of Fate, belongs to me. Plagiarism is bad...Just say No! ^_^

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Epilogue Part 3

BPOV

"...And they lived happily ever after," I finished just above a whisper, smiling at the two sleeping girls in the Cinderella's carriage bed as I leaned forward to turn off the lamp.

Friday nights had become a tradition for Kylie since the first night Edward and I ever babysat her, and even though we weren't in Seattle anymore, this Friday night was no exception to the ritual. The only difference this time was Maddie in the bed with her. They had added in their own parts to the story until they'd closed their eyes and became too sleepy to continue, and from there I'd taken over, gradually lowering my voice until I was sure they were asleep.

"Aunt Bella?" Kylie whispered just as my fingers touched the lamp switch.

"Yes honey?" I asked, leaning back as her half lidded sapphire eyes watched me drowsily.

"Do you think Daddy and Mama will ever get married like you and Uncle Eddie are tomorrow?" she asked quietly.

"Would you like that?" I asked, unsure how to answer that question. We all assumed they'd get married one day, when they were both ready to, but as far as I was aware, they hadn't even started talking about the possibility of it.

"Yeah," she whispered and nodded. "I want Rose to be my only mommy."

I sighed, my heart throbbing painfully for the beautiful little girl before me and gently rubbed my hand over her arm.

"Do you not like having two mommies?" I asked curiously and she shook her head.

"I just want Rose to be my mommy. She makes me happy and does things with me and tells me she loves me everyday. She doesn't even yell at me when I get in trouble like my old mom always did," she answered as she picked at the seam of the comforter.

"Rose does love you, sweetheart. She and your daddy love you more than anything in the world, we all do. I know it's probably confusing having two mommies, but wouldn't you miss your old mommy if she didn't come to visit you?" I asked as she looked down at the blanket and furrowed her brows. She sat there silently for a minute or two, thinking through what I'd asked as she continued picking at the seam before looking up at me and shrugging.

"I...don't know. I just want Mama and Daddy to get married so she never leaves us cause I _know_ I'd miss her," she replied hesitantly and I frowned slightly as I took her hand in both of mine.

"Kylie honey, even if Mama and Daddy don't get married right away, she'd _never_ leave you. I can promise you that because she loves you both too much to ever leave you, okay?" I responded reassuringly. She smiled tiredly and nodded as she burrowed further under the blankets.

"Are you ready to sleep now?" I asked quietly and she nodded as she closed her eyes. I brushed her bangs off her forehead and kissed it softly, "Goodnight lovebug," I smiled, speaking just above a whisper as I reached for the lamp switch once again.

"'Night Aunt Bella," she sighed, rolling onto her side and snuggling into her pillow.

I walked around the bed and pulled the blanket up higher on Maddie, bringing it up to her shoulders and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. She looked like a little angel, fast asleep with her hands clasped together in front of her face. Once I turned her lamp off as well, the room was lit only by the moon filtering in through the sheer curtains and the soft glow a nightlight on the far wall. Leaving the room, I looked upon the girls one last time before pulling the door until it was just slightly ajar, just the way Kylie liked it, and then turned to head back down the stairs.

"Are the girls asleep?" Rose asked as I entered the living room and took a seat in one of the recliners.

"That they are. Hey, has Kylie asked you or Emmett about the two of you getting married lately?" I asked curiously as I pulled the lever on the side of the chair, wanting nothing more than to lay back and relax after such an exhausting day of running around trying to find new dresses for the girls so they'd match.

"No, why?" she answered as she shook her head, turning her attention from steaming the wrinkles out of her dress to focus on me. I told her all about the conversation I'd had with her, and then of course, had to ask if they'd even talked about it as of late.

"No, we haven't really talked about it in great length. The thing is, we both need to be sure that Kylie would be okay with it..."

"I think it's safe to say she's sure of what she wants," I snickered.

"Bella," Rose sighed and rolled her eyes. "She's _nine_. What she wants changes multiple times a day and we need to be absolutely sure that she's ready for that kind of change...because it _is_ a big change."

"It's not _that_ big of one," Alice chimed in as she pulled the bottle from Jonathan's mouth and shifted him up to her shoulder and began patting his back. "I mean, you all live in the same house now and, for all intents and purposes, the three of you function as a family. You and Em getting married doesn't really change the dynamics of your current living situation any."

"It might not seem like it's much of a change, but it is. She's _just_ getting settled into a new life, she's just getting her daddy back after being apart from him for five years, and on top of that, she's adjusting to having two mother figures in her life. Adding to that so soon by making me her legal step-mother, and the possibility of Em and I having more children...it's just too soon for her. She needs to be ready for any changes we ever make so they don't flip her world on its axis again," Rose argued in return after plopping down on the couch.

"At least just make some time for you and Emmett to talk to her about it, Rose. I told you what she said and I really think that she's truly afraid that because you and Em aren't married that it means you'll leave them one day...more specifically, leave _her_," I pressed. "She's a smart kid and I'm sure if you both explain to her why you're waiting, she'll at least understand your reasons and stop worrying that you'll leave."

"Yeah, we will," she nodded, pausing only slightly to gather her thoughts as she ran a hand through her hair before resting her head against her palm. "Em wants to take her fishing Monday, just the three of us because he feels like we haven't had enough time together since we got here with how crazy everything's been. It'll probably be the best time to talk to her about it since we'll know we won't be interrupted by anything."

I smiled at the thought of just the three of them spending the day together out on the water. Witnessing Emmett and Rosalie with Kylie in their interactions when they thought no one was watching was such a heartwarming sight to behold...so different from when they were surrounded by people. There's just something about how connected they are with each other that's incredibly awe inspiring. I'd almost been reduced to inexplicable tears once while watching Em and Kylie in Rose's backyard catching butterflies. To this day I have no idea why it was so moving to witness, but the smiles on their faces as they let one go nearly did me in and I had to back away from the window.

"Aww...he's such an amazing dad," Ali swooned, "He really is the gentle giant of the family when it comes to Kylie."

"She's his world," Rose grinned. "Daddy's little princess...just as it should be."

"I'm surprised you don't get jealous," Ali snickered as she rocked a sleeping Jonathan in her arms.

"How can I get jealous when I know that one day when we have kids together, he'll be the same way with them? When I see them together, happy and in their own little world I can be nothing but thankful that I have someone like him to share my life with," Rose replied with a dreamy look on her face that made me snicker as I righted my recliner.

I stood from the chair and offered to take Jonathan up to his crib in Ali and Jasper's room since I was heading up to bed and then bid them both goodnight after he was cradled snugly in my arms. Once in their room, I changed his diaper while somehow managing to not wake him and then placed him in his crib, covering him with his "woobie" as Ali called it. Every time she said the word I thought of Chewbacca and she'd yell "Woobie not Wookiee ya dolt!" when I'd laugh.

"Little man, one day I hope you realize what a wonderful family you have and love all of them as much as I do," I whispered as I smoothed his silky soft hair gently.

I turned the baby monitor on before leaving the room and heading up to the third floor, exhausted and ready to pass out. It had been such a physically draining day, waking up sick to my stomach and then spending the day running all around Brazil. But low and behold, as I laid in bed and tried to fall asleep, I found myself staring at the dark ceiling instead, unable to shut my brain off.

My mind was running in circles, not even able to focus on a single thought for longer than a few seconds. For over an hour my mind raced through wonderings of what Edward would be like as a dad, if he'd be like Emmett - where moments of just him and his child could bring tears to the eyes of those who were able to witness them together because those precious moments were just so emotionally charged and beautiful - or if he'd be like Felix who turned instantly turned into a kid again whenever it was just him and Maddie together. I wondered if we'd have a boy or a girl, and what we were going to name him or her, if they were going to look like both of us, or resemble one of us more than the other.

So many thoughts ran through my head that I was unable to keep track of them all, and before I knew it, I was wide awake again. I wasn't sure if my second wind - or more like fifth throughout the day - was due to pregnancy hormones or just excitement that our big day was just on the horizon of the coming day. Six months prior, this day felt like it'd never arrive, and yet, there I was laying in bed with the knowledge that our moment was just a few short hours away.

I wanted to squeal and dance around the room...and then my phone buzzed on the nightstand. I grinned as wide as the Grand Canyon and rolled over to grab it, flipping it open instantly to read the message.

Can't sleep...can you? - E

I bit my bottom lip, still smiling as I quickly tapped out a reply message to him.

Nope...wide awake here too. - B

It was probably a total of thirty seconds before it lit up and vibrated again in my hands.

Can you sneak out or are the wardens still awake? - E

I laughed as I read his message and shook my head. He'd been calling them wardens ever since earlier that evening when they all came home early because Toby had gotten seasick after drinking too much and Esme, Rose, and Ali had banned us from seeing each other. They'd done so mostly because they knew if they allowed him into the house, they'd never get him back out before the wedding. They'd declared the house a "man-free zone", with the exception of Jonathan of course, for twenty-four hours.

They even kicked Carlisle out, and the look on his face had been _priceless_ when Esme handed him an overnight bag and shooed him out the door the minute we got home.

It might be mission impossible, but I'm willing to risk it if you are. - B

I sent the message and then stealthily slipped out of the room, standing at the top of the stairs and listening for any noise down below. Hearing nothing and seeing no light drifting up the stairs, I crept back in the room just as my phone vibrated again in my hand.

Gimme 20 and I'll be waiting for you down at the end of the driveway. - E

I shot him back a quick "okay" and then threw on one of his button down shirts over the tank top and sleep shorts I was wearing, and grabbed a pair of flip flops before exiting the closet. I tucked the flip flops into the back of my shorts, hidden from view in case anyone was downstairs and still awake, figuring if they were, I'd just pretend I was coming down for a drink before going back to bed. Thankfully though, it was all clear once I got down there.

I slipped out the front door, into the dark night undetected and waited a few minutes, making sure no lights turned on inside the house before slipping my flip flops on and making my way down to the bottom of the driveway. A quarter of the way down, I wished I'd had enough forethought to grab a flashlight from the kitchen because the parts of the path that were under a canopy of trees were pitch black and I could barely see two feet in front of my face even with the dim light from my cell screen.

"Ow..._crap_," I whisper yelled to myself after tripping in a divot in the dirt path and jamming my bare toe on the hard ground. Sneakers might have been an even better forethought than a flashlight.

As I turned the final bend toward the open gates, I spotted Edward leaning against the side of one of the resort golf carts and I had to snicker to myself. He _hated_ driving in those things because they were slow and he said they made him feel like an old man using it as a car in a retirement community somewhere.

"Hi," I whispered as I stepped into his arms and then sighed in content as he wrapped them around me.

"Mmm," he hummed nuzzling his face into the crook of my neck, "I missed you."

"I missed you too. How'd you manage to sneak away from the resort unseen?" I asked amusedly.

"Em and Carlisle both passed out over two hours ago. I just slipped out of the sliding door in the bedroom and hopped the fence. Since it's just us and the rest of the family here for the next two weeks or so, there was no one working at the front desk overnight to catch me snagging the key to the toy car," he chuckled as he smiled down at me and then ducked his head for a kiss. His warm lips were like a soothing balm to my nerves that were sparking with excitement. It felt like my entire body sighed the moment they touched my own and I melted into him.

"Come on...let's get out of here before someone figures out we're missing and finds us," he grinned as he ushered me into the golf cart.

"Where are we going?" I asked curiously as he pulled away from the bottom of the driveway and took my hand in his.

"Somewhere no one can find us for a little bit," he smirked, bringing our hands up to his lips to kiss the back of my hand. I smiled brilliantly, nearly bouncing in my seat as I realized he was bringing us up to his secret spot on the cliff above Mezcalito's. We hadn't been up there since the previous summer and I was excited to see it on such a beautiful clear and starry night.

The off-road path was a bit bumpier in the golf cart than it had been on his motorcycle, and it was massively overgrown, causing us to lean into each other as the cart pushed its way through palm and fern fronds. He stopped the cart when it was apparent we wouldn't be able to go any further and still be able to turn around, and then slipped out, grabbing the small throw blanket he'd been sitting on and fished a mini flashlight out of his pocket.

_At least one of us leaves the house prepared to walk trails in the dark..._I mused to myself as I slid across the seat after him. I took the hand he held out for me and followed him closely as he led our way through the overgrown brush to the cliff.

The moment we entered the clearing, my breath caught in my throat and tears sprang to my eyes as the memory of our first kiss, in that very spot in the middle of the clearing, played out right before my eyes.

"Baby...look down there," Edward voiced right above a whisper, an audible smile within his words as he pointed down toward Mezcalito's.

I took a step forward, coming to stand right beside him as I looked far below us and spotted our arch erected in the sand just feet in front of the high tide line in the sand. It was absolutely beautiful, lit only by the moonlight with its sheer white and, what I knew to be, vivid pink fabrics billowing in the gentle breeze. Standing there and looking down on it, I could picture the aisle I'd be walking down covered in flower petals and the white linen covered chairs with pink satin bows across the back lined up before it where our family would all gather to witness us promise our lives to one another. Just the thought of what the following day held caused the tears to slip from my eyes as I smiled softly.

It was finally here...we'd finally made it, and that fabric draped arch built by Carlisle and Marcus's own hands was visual and tangible proof of it.

"Are you nervous?" Edward asked quietly after stepping behind me and enclosing me in his arms.

"Not at all. I'm excited, you?" I asked curiously as I tilted my head to look up at him.

"Not in the least," he smiled as he leaned in for a kiss. "Seven o'clock can't come soon enough for me."

I leaned up to press another soft kiss against his lips before he led me over to the rocks overlooking the beach and spread the blanket out for us to sit on. Once he was atop it, he helped me up and nestled me between his legs, pulling my back against his chest and wrapping me tightly in his arms.

Edward lowered his chin onto my shoulder and we sat quietly, just enjoying being together and alone for once. My fingers danced up and down his forearms as I gazed out over the ocean, watching the reflection of the moon sparkle off the water making it look like twinkling stars in a pitch black night sky. A slight breeze blew around us, causing a lock of my hair to flutter across my face. Edward caught it instantly and tucked it behind my ear and placed his lips against my temple. I released a breath of content as a smile spread across my lips and I crossed my arms over his to link our fingers together.

"What are you thinking about?" he whispered as he grazed the tip of his nose back and forth across my temple.

"How beautiful this spot is and how much I love that it's where we began our relationship, and tomorrow, it'll overlook the very spot we'll begin the rest of our lives," I answered truthfully. "What about you? What were you thinking about?"

"Your book...I...Bella, there are no words to describe how reading our story through your eyes made me feel," he stammered, shaking his head.

"You read the whole thing already?" I asked, bewildered and he nodded.

"Yeah, I read part of it last night on the boat, and the rest of it today after we got back since I was banned from seeing you," he admitted, smiling a bit abashedly. "Is that...what you wrote...is that really how you see me? The way you thought of me and viewed me during that month?"

"Yes, and it's _still_ the way I see you, Edward, to this very day," I confirmed, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze of reassurance. "What parts of the story were you thinking about?" I asked curiously.

"A lot of them, but mainly the chapters when we returned to the island from Rio and I acted like an ass all week," he mumbled, hugging me tighter as I sighed and tilted my head to the side again.

"Out of everything in that book you focused on _that_?" I asked, disappointed. There was so much else held within that story, so many more moments that were beautiful and filled with happiness and he chose to focus on one of the few not so wonderful memories.

"Not only on that, Bella. Trust me when I say that our fights, and other events that occurred which I'd really rather not ever think of again, were the furthest thing from my mind when I was experiencing some of our more personal moments through your words, but I couldn't ignore how big of an asshole I'd really been during that week," he replied, shaking his head at the end before swooping in to kiss my forehead and sighing. "I really didn't mean to act that way toward you. It was never my intention to hurt you as I had and until reading through that week and being inside your head...I hadn't realized just how bad you'd already been hurting before our huge argument. I'm sorry, Bella...truly. You didn't deserve it. I shouldn't have been so thoughtless and harsh with my actions and words."

I turned slightly in his lap so I could wrap my arms around him, my hand winding into his hair on the back of his head and my fingers rubbing soothingly at his scalp as I nuzzled his neck. In truth, in the year we'd been together, we'd only ever had two really horrible fights, but no matter how much I'd ever tried to tell him that that's all they were, insignificant arguments, that they never changed how I felt for him or even blamed him for them...it didn't matter. While we'd fight and I'd move on afterward, letting it go and choosing not to look back on them, he'd riddle himself with unnecessary guilt over it for weeks or even months at a time.

"Edward," I murmured into his neck. "I love you. I've always loved you and I always will love you. I love you when we're blissfully happy and I love you _just as much _when we're fighting."

"I know you do," he nodded, shifting us so he was still holding me cradled to his chest but he could look me in the eyes. "That's why it hurt so much while I was reading it. I could feel your frustration and anguish, but at the same time I could feel how deeply you loved me through it...even when I was acting like an ass, and it kills me to know how I treated someone as caring and understanding as you are."

"Honey, neither one of us is perfect. No matter how much we love each other, there will be times when we'll fight and say things we don't mean, but the important thing to remember is that we love each other. There's nothing you can ever do that a simple sorry won't take care of. I know that because I know you love me with all your heart and you'd never do something that that simple word couldn't cure," I told him honestly.

We'd come so far in just one year that any insecurities I may have ever had over our relationship had been put to rest long ago. I knew deep down that nothing could ever tear us apart, and it was that knowledge that secured my belief that we'd always love each other no matter how many little spats we would ever have. Occasional tiffs were just a part of sharing your life with someone, and if I was being completely honest, they helped keep the relationship alive and filled with passion.

Make up sex definitely had its advantages.

"Was it hard for you? Writing those chapters?" he asked as his fingers caressed the skin on my side, under his shirt and my tank top. I nodded and kissed his shoulder.

"It was," I admitted, "But not as hard as it was to write and relive the encounter with he who shall remain nameless."

When I'd gone back to fill in the story for Edward, changing all the character names and making everything as true to what I experienced during that month as possible, I'd debated night after night over whether or not to include that particular event in the story. In the end, I'd decided to keep it in there simply because it was a part of our past and it had been a major event within our relationship.

He'd faulted himself for so long for letting me run off, but he needed to understand that it was only because of his love and worry for me that he followed after me when I'd asked to be alone, and in doing so, he'd saved me. It still caused me to cringe to this very day any time I thought of what could, or rather, _would_ have happened had he not arrived when he had.

"I uh...I skipped that chapter," he mumbled uncomfortably, stiffening and looking out over the water and avoiding my eyes. "I couldn't do it...I read what led up to it and couldn't go through with experiencing that through you without you being near me where I could see with my own eyes that you were safe and unharmed."

I nodded silently in understanding and pressed my lips against the side of his throat, continuing to rub his scalp soothingly until he relaxed again. We spent a while talking about some of the other more memorable moments I'd written, laughing with each other in the darkness when Emmett's snake vine prank was brought up as well as the pineapple people porn. Eventually I'd turned again in his arms, relaxing back against him as I looked out over the dark water while his hands caressed up and down my arms.

"I was just thinking," Edward started quietly after a few minutes of silence. "About the first time I brought you up here. I remember being so damn nervous when we first got up here knowing that I'd be putting myself out there for the first time in nearly a decade, and not knowing how you'd react. I was terrified that you'd turn me down and that once you left, you'd take that feeling of being complete away with you."

"I couldn't have turned you down if I'd tried," I snickered. "But I was just as afraid as you were. I truly was afraid that we'd end up breaking each other's hearts when it came time for me to leave."

I felt him shake his head, his chin drifting back and forth across the top of my shoulder as his arms closed around me. "I promised you that day in this very spot that I'd find a way to make us work. I'll _always_ find a way to make us work, love. I promise you that because I can't live without you."

"I can't live without you either," I smiled, turning my head and lacing my fingers into his hair, tugging him down to my lips. I hummed softly in pleasure as our tongues met, slowly twisting and twining around one another as the soft balmy breeze caressed our skin.

This night, the serenity surrounding us and being with only each other, was just what we'd needed after such a long week. So much had been going on around us that sometimes it felt as though we didn't even have a spare moment to just stop and take a much needed relaxing breath. I wanted so badly to tell him about the baby in that moment, in the one place that was exclusively ours, but I couldn't.

I couldn't because I _knew _if I did, there'd be no way he'd leave my side again before the wedding...not that I'd wanted him to. It would have suited me just fine if we walked down the aisle together.

"We should get going soon," he murmured against my lips, nudging his nose back and forth across mine. I pouted and he grinned as he kissed my protruding lip. "I don't want to go either, but it's already well past midnight and I'm sure the girls will be waking you bright and early for all that unnecessary primping stuff you all do."

"It's after midnight?" I asked, a wide grin spreading across my lips as he nodded.

"We're getting married today..._today_, Edward," I semi-squealed as he laughed at my excitement.

"Just over sixteen hours left, my love," he smiled, pecking my lips once more.

I was still grinning like a fool as he helped me down off the rock and turned to gather the blanket and pocketed the flashlight. Standing in the middle of the clearing, he turned to me and wrapped me in his arms, smiling lovingly down at me as his gaze flickered between my eyes and lips and his hand came up to cup my cheek. I grinned even wider, remembering he'd done the same the very same thing before we'd kissed for the very first time. I nodded to him like I'd done back then and a moment later his head slowly dipped down, and ever so gently, his lips brushed against mine.

And just like the very first time, the feeling of it sent fire racing through my veins.

~*~

I woke up the following morning with memories of the night before lingering on the edge of my consciousness. The way he'd driven the golf cart as far up the driveway as he could without risking being seen by anyone in the house should they be up, and kissing my ring finger instead of my lips when we parted, claiming our last kiss as single people would forever remain in the same location as our first kiss together, made me smile before I'd even opened my eyes...at least until the moment I was hit with a wave of nausea that catapulted me out of the bed and toward the bathroom.

When Esme had brought me to an obstetrician's office that both she and Carlisle trusted and regarded highly the day before, she'd done an ultrasound and estimated me to be approximately five to six weeks pregnant based on the measurements she'd taken, making my due date right around Valentine's Day the following year. It had brought tears to my eyes seeing the tiny little mass inside the black area of what she explained was the amniotic sac and I'd had to grip Esme's hand tightly to stop myself from bawling like a baby out of sheer happiness right there in the exam room. Esme herself was just as teary eyed as I was as she asked for three copies of the ultrasound picture, one for me, one for her, and one for my mother, because she insisted it was _imperative_ that we all have a copy of each one.

After cleaning the sticky gel off my skin, the doctor smiled and assured me that everything looked good, my blood pressure and sugar levels were normal and she'd call as soon as she got the results from the blood work she'd sent down to the lab, even though she was sure they'd come back normal as well. From all the signs she could gather, we were healthy and hearing that was exactly what I'd needed to hear. When I'd voiced my concerns over how early and frequently I'd been experiencing nausea and fatigue, she just smiled and told me that it was normal and there was nothing to worry about. Some women just experience earlier onset of pregnancy symptoms than others from the change in hormone levels while others may never experience them at all, but assured me that it subsides for most women during the second trimester.

"Little one...Momma would appreciate it very much if you could give me a little more warning so the first sight I see in the morning isn't the inside of the toilet bowl," I sighed, leaning back on my heels as I reached up to flush, feeling gross, but yet, somehow still managing to smile to myself.

Paradoxical...that's what pregnancy is. Only then can you feel like utter crap but still smile at the same time.

"Oh good, you're already..." Rose started cheerily and then grimaced as she walked into the bathroom and found me kneeling before the bowl. "Rough start?"

"Jump start's more like it," I chuckled under my breath, debating if it was safe to venture away from the toilet just yet.

"It probably doesn't sound good right now, but Diane brought homemade danishes and cinnamon buns over for breakfast. They're still warm too, so if you're up to it, come join us," she offered, and like Pavlov's dog, my mouth instantly began watering. Despite the past fifteen minutes, they sounded incredibly appetizing.

"Can you toss a bun in the oven to keep it warm for me? I kind of really want to take a shower because I feel disgusting now," I asked, my nose wrinkling slightly.

"Honey, you already got a bun in the oven," she snickered as I rolled my eyes, but couldn't wipe the smile off my face as she nodded and turned to head back out of the bathroom while I lifted myself off the floor.

"Just don't dry your hair when you're done," she noted as she walked out and shut the door behind her.

I locked it, fearing if I took too long Alice would come barging in, and then stripped down as I waited for the water to warm. After brushing my teeth, I stood in front of the mirror looking for any visible changes to my body, turning back and forth, but unable to really see any notable differences. I rolled my eyes at myself in the mirror knowing I was only six weeks along at most and probably wouldn't see any notable changes for at least another month or two.

I showered quickly, excited over what the day held and over being able to finally tell Edward about the little bundle of joy we were now expecting in the very near future, and thrilled that we hadn't needed to even truly try. It was all we could have asked for with how excited we'd been for nearly a year at the prospect of starting our own family. I couldn't wait to see the look on his face when I told him, and made a mental note to ask Esme to keep a camera on hand to capture the moment so it could be the very first photo in our first child's baby album.

"Oh honey," Diane crooned with tears in her eyes as I turned the corner into the kitchen, clad in just my undergarments and robe. "You look absolutely radiant."

I snickered as I thanked her and stepped into her waiting open arms.

"I'm so happy for you both. Esme just showed me the ultrasound picture," she said as she stepped back, holding onto the sides of my arms. "Are you excited?"

"Very," I nodded, smiling. "I can't wait to tell him. It's been driving me mad keeping it from him these past few days."

"I'm surprised she didn't tell him last night when they snuck off with each other," Esme grinned smugly as my jaw dropped open in shock. I'd been _positive_ our secret rendezvous had been just that...our secret.

"Isabella Marie!" Alice chastised as Rosalie cracked up laughing at my gaping mouth and unblinking wide eyes.

"Don't look so surprised, dear," Esme chuckled lightly.

"But how'd you know? Everyone was asleep when I snuck out," I shook my head, incredulous.

"Word travels like wildfire on islands this size," she winked, "That, and there's a surveillance camera down at the gates and the monitor is in my bedroom."

"Damn," I muttered, wondering why Edward hadn't thought about that, or if he had but just didn't care enough about getting caught to deter him from trying.

"Why didn't you stop them?" Ali asked, only slightly amused. She'd been a real stickler for the whole no seeing each other before the wedding thing.

"Now how could I do that when Carlisle and I hadn't even honored the tradition?" she laughed as she wrapped an arm around me and rubbed my shoulder. "We snuck back into our parents' houses just before sunrise the morning of our wedding."

After a rather entertaining breakfast with jokes flying left and right over Edward's and my _scandalous_ encounter, the entire house became a whirlwind of activity. My mom and Grammy Marie were the first to arrive after Diane, both gushing over how beautiful the spot Edward and I were to be married in would be once the crew finished setting everything up. Kate, Julie and Maddie arrived shortly before noon, followed soon after by Sasha, Victoria, Gianna, Gabby, and Renata all wanting to give us a hand with anything we'd need.

Within two hours I found myself wanting nothing more than to just put my dress on and head down to Mezcalito's because seven o'clock just seemed to be taking far too long to approach.

By three I was ready to break Rosalie's camera if she took yet another damn candid photo of me in some unknown phase number of Alice's endless beautification process. I'd swear in one of them I'd have one tweezed eyebrow and one bushy one because she'd taken _that _many. It was beyond ridiculous.

By four thirty I'd burst into tears at the sight of Kylie and Maddie with their hair done and wearing the dresses we'd managed to find at the last minute. They were exactly the same only with reversed coloring. Maddie's was pink with a white ribbon sash, and Kylie's was white with a pink one in the same hue. They were perfect and they looked absolutely adorable with the pink and white plumeria flowers in their hair.

Thank the Lord Alice had used waterproof mascara, because I had a feeling it wouldn't be the only time I became a leaky faucet throughout the day.

Sometime around quarter after five, I cried again when my father arrived, dressed in pressed khaki pants and a crisp button down white shirt and wearing flip flops that stopped clapping the instant his eyes landed on me. Never in my life had I ever witnessed my father cry, but as he stood not five feet from where I was standing, fully dressed in the beautiful gown Alice had handmade me as Rosalie pinned the single flower to the side of my hair, I watched his eyes begin to water instantly.

"Oh Bella..." he trailed off, resuming his steps as he approached me slowly. "You're a sight for sore eyes, honey. You look amazing."

"Thank you, Dad," I sniffed, trying to fight back the tears and losing the battle as he carefully wrapped his arms around me and kissed my cheek.

"How's Edward doing?" I asked, wondering if he was as overwhelmed with excitement and emotions as I was.

"Got off to a rough start with Emmett and Carlisle's prank this morning, but now he's just bouncing off the walls and willing his watch to move faster," he chuckled.

"Oh no...what'd they do?" I gasped as he chuckled away and shook his head.

"They snuck into his room, shut his alarm off and changed the time on the clock so when they woke him up he'd think it was six in the evening," he replied, highly amused. "You should have seen him jump out of that bed and run around like a basket case, cursing up a storm. I've never seen anything like it before. Got it all on video too."

"We'll definitely be watching that tonight," Rosalie laughed along with everyone else, including myself. That was a pretty hilarious prank to pull on him, and leave it to Em and Carlisle to pull it off. They must have been planning that for _days_.

Not twenty minutes later, I was crying yet _again _when my mother and grandmother affixed the simple diamond stud earrings Grammy had given my mother for her wedding day to my ears as my "something old", and Esme stepped forward to clasp the same necklace she'd worn when she'd married Carlisle around my neck as my "something borrowed". My "something(s) blue" were the blue diamonds in my engagement ring along with the baby blue garter on my left thigh beneath my dress. The "something new" was, of course, the dress itself. The only thing I was missing was the silver sixpence for my shoe...but I wasn't going to be wearing shoes anyway.

Not that that mattered to Alice who quickly had me tuck the one her mother had given her the day of her and Jasper's wedding into the cup of my strapless bra of all places while she finished fixing my makeup.

"I'm gonna feel like a slot machine when Edward takes this off later and it falls out," I snickered as we turned to head out of Esme's en suite bathroom to join the others for more pictures.

The last hour flew by for me as literally hundreds of photographs were taken, ranging from just me by myself, to me with the entire bridal party, me with my parents, me with just Ali and Rose, me with my mom, Esme, and Grammy Marie...you name the combination and there was a picture of it in various different locations. By the time we loaded up into the resort trucks to make our way down to Mezcalito's, I feared my cheeks were going to fall off from smiling so much, and even when the cameras were put away and my facial muscles were on fire from being stuck in the same way for so long, I couldn't wipe the grin off my face.

It was there the whole ride. It was there as we all congregated in a spot that couldn't be seen from the altar. It was there as the music began to play and Maddie took her first steps toward the aisle, followed right behind by Kylie and a very handsome Angelo with spiky hair and flushed cheeks as he held his elbow out for her like a true gentleman.

It was there when Alice grinned at me and began making her way down in her simple pink beach wrap dress, twisted and tied around her neck, followed not a minute later by Rosalie after she winked at me and stepped into the sunlight with a smile on her face and bouquet of exotic flowers held gently in her hands.

And it was still there when my father patted my hand on the inside of his elbow and asked if I was ready. I nodded and together, barefooted and smiling at each other, we stepped into the sunlight.

After just the twenty steps I'd memorized, I was there, at the end of the aisle and making my way toward the man of my dreams. The man I loved more than life itself, and the blissful smile that crossed his lips when he spotted me just as the music transitioned to the _Butterfly Waltz_, made my answering grin that much wider.

~*~

EPOV

I'd been restless all morning after the rude awakening I'd been subjected to by my brother and father figure. I hadn't been able to sit still for a single minute straight to save my life. I paced the villa, the beach, and the buffet pavilion. I even walked laps around the pool after trying to swim off some of the excess excited energy I was harboring. At one point I read through the vows I'd written over and over again, memorizing them until the words blurred together before my eyes, just trying to keep myself from looking at my watch to see what time it was every five seconds.

Nothing worked. It stayed there, unable to be subdued no matter what I did to try and tame it or take my mind off of it.

I made the bed we'd share our first night as a married couple, the same one I'd slept in the night before and the same one we'd shared the first time we ever spent the night together.

The one next door to the villa the girls had originally stayed in. You couldn't pay either Bella or me enough to spend the night in the one next door after what had happened in it, regardless if it had been the first place we'd ever made love and the locks had been changed or not. It wasn't going to happen...not in a million years.

After making the bed, I stole all the candles from the rest of the villa, and even some from Demitri, Irina, and Alec's villa two doors down, and set them up across the dresser, nightstand, and around the Jacuzzi tub. And then I ran up to the buffet pavilion and snatched up a bottle of champagne to leave in our fridge along with a bucket for ice later on.

And still, after all of that, it was only barely four. I still had three hours to kill, so I did the only thing left I could think of. I showered, shaved, and got dressed...then continued to pace and stare at my watch.

I think the only time I remained still for more than two and a half minutes in a full stretch was when Charlie had pulled me aside before he headed off to the house, and even then it was only long enough for him to tell me proud he was to become my father in-law...and to jokingly warn me that if I ever hurt his little girl that he'd pull the shotgun I'd feared so much in the beginning on me.

I knew he was joking because he knew by now I'd never intentionally hurt her, and because we both knew he didn't own one. A sidearm or a dozen, yep, a rifle or two, sure...a shotgun? Nope. Not a one...thankfully.

Not that I doubted he would pull out a full on SWAT team's arsenal on me if I ever _did_ hurt her, because I knew he would.

Most definitely...would...yep...all aimed right at me with remote triggers so they'd all fire at once and leave barely a trace of me behind.

Was it time to go yet?

Finally at five thirty, Emmett, Carlisle, Jasper, and Demitri dragged me off toward Mezcalito's, unable to watch me pace holes in the floor any longer without dizzying themselves. We'd arrived just in time to watch the setup crew add the finishing touches to the area. The floral wreaths had been affixed to the corners of the fabric draped arch, the chairs had been covered with their white linens and pink satin ribbons, tied into perfect bows behind each one. Sheer pink fabric had been rolled down the aisle and covered in vibrant flower petals...

"Who barfed up the Pepto?" Em chortled as we took in the scene.

"That would be our mother and Renee after seeing the bridesmaids dresses," I sniggered, knowing this was what it looked like _after _Bella had begged them to tone it down a notch or two. She'd legitimately feared that if she let them continue going as they were, they'd paint the _sand_ pink while they were at it.

I don't know what it was that had changed between leaving the villa and arriving at Mezcalito's, but that anxiousness I'd battled all day long vanished nearly instantly upon arriving. Maybe it was seeing for myself that everything was in place and awaiting only the arrival of our guests and the rest of the bridal wagon, or maybe it was finally being able to legitimately see that our wedding day had finally arrived...but the why didn't matter so much as the fact that I was able to stand still for the first time since I'd been jolted out of my bed by the falsely frantic voices of my family.

Well at least it subsided until I took my place beside Emmett, Jasper, and Demitri in front of the altar and I began fidgeting in place, probably looking for all the world, and Angela's father who'd graciously volunteered to fly in to officiate the ceremony, like I was just a nanosecond short of bolting and heading for the hills...which was just ridiculous. I'd been waiting for this day for far too long now.

"Bro, relax will ya? You're starting to make _me_ nervous," Emmett chuckled quietly after jabbing me in the side with his elbow.

"I'm not nervous, I'm excited..._big_ difference," I shot back instantly.

"Not on your hair it ain't. Chill out," he sniggered as Pastor Weber coughed in an attempt to disguise his laughter.

It didn't work.

"You gave the rings to Angelo, right?" I asked, knowing I'd probably asked him that already but went ahead and asked again just in case.

"Oh my God...do I need to go get Pop to shoot ya in the ass with a tranquilizer gun or something?" he laughed outright along with Jasper, Demitri...and Pastor Weber who didn't even attempt to mask it that time.

I shut my mouth after that and focused on running my vows through my head so I wouldn't stumble or forget them when the time came and when the music suddenly started, I about launched ten feet straight up in the air from the jolt my nerves shot through me.

With each person that came traipsing down the aisle, my nerves settled themselves, knowing the moment I'd been waiting an entire year for had finally arrived. I smiled and waved an index finger at Maddie as she led the way, looking like a beautiful little angel. Kylie was a vision of perfection, as were Ali and Rose, but as they took their places along the opposite side of the altar, my gaze was focused only on the end of the aisle, waiting for my Bella.

And the moment she appeared on Charlie's arm, my world froze around me. I didn't notice our audience stand. I didn't notice Emmett's clap on the back of my shoulder, nor did I hear Pastor Weber's comment on how beautiful she was.

My entire being was focused solely on her and the beautiful smile gracing her lips. I grinned, feeling completely at ease for the first time all day and watched as her smile grew and her eyes sparkled as she gazed back at me unwaveringly, as though she too was just as unaware of anything surrounding us as I was.

I barely heard Charlie's parting words after he kissed her cheek and shook my hand before stepping away to take his seat between Renee and Beth in the first row of chairs. I couldn't focus on anything outside of Bella before me, breathtaking and ethereally beautiful as she gazed up at me with nothing but joy and profound love.

And then it happened.

I completely missed my cue to speak the words I'd wished to share with Bella before the traditional vows began and she giggled as Emmett poked me in the back, Pastor Weber cleared his throat...and just like that, my mind went blank instantly. The words I'd so carefully woven together and memorized from hours upon hours of searching the endless universe of Google escaped me entirely and a rather loud chuckle burst through my lips at the realization that the _one_ thing I hadn't really feared happening...did.

"Wow...where have I been for the last few minutes and why didn't I keep that sheet of paper on me?" I sniggered, borderline mortified. I bit my upper lip and shook my head slightly before mouthing "_sorry_" at her. She just shook with silent laughter and mouthed "_it's okay_" back to me as I scrambled to put words together on the spot.

"What can I say to you that I haven't already said," I started, still forming a speech in my mind.

"What can I give you that I haven't already given...Is there anything of me that isn't yours already? My body, my mind, my heart, even my soul...everything that is me belonged to you long before this, and it shall be yours long after this. I will follow you anywhere and everywhere you lead, hand in hand and heart in heart," and then magically my original speech began forming in my brain again, much to my relief.

I smiled down at her, squeezing her hands in mine as she began to tear up.

"Isabella, I love you. You are my best friend. Because of you, I laugh, I smile, I dare to dream again. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you, caring, loving and being there for you in all life has for us. Today I give myself to you in marriage. I promise to encourage and inspire you, To laugh with you in times of joy, and comfort you in times of sorrow," I vowed as I lifted our joined hands to catch a cascading tear with the back of my finger.

"I promise to love you in good times and in bad, when life seems easy and when it seems hard, when our love is simple, and when it is an effort. I promise to cherish you, and to always hold you in highest regard. These things I give to you today, and all the days of our life," I finished, raising both of her hands to my lips and kissing both of them before settling them back down between us.

She took a deep breath and smiled up at me, her chin quivering as she fought back an onslaught of tears, squeezing my hands just before she began speaking, her voice thick with emotion.

"I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you, not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me," she continued, her voice strengthening with each word. "I love you, for the part of me that you bring out. I love you, for putting your hand into my heart, and for drawing out, into the light, all the beautiful belongings that no one else had looked quite far enough to find. I love you, because you have done more than any creed could have done to make me good, and more than any fate could have done to make me happy," she paused, squeezing my hands again as she took another deep breath to compose herself and steady her voice.

"You, Edward, are my best friend and will be forever. Today I give myself to you in marriage. I promise to give you the best of myself and ask of you no more than I can give. I promise to respect you as your own person and to realize that your interests, desires and needs are no less important than my own. I promise to share with you my time and attention and to bring joy, strength and imagination to our relationship," she continued on, smiling beautifully.

"I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you see through the window of my world into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams. I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face changes in order to keep our relationship alive and exciting. I promise to love you in good times and in bad, with all I have to give and all I feel inside the only way I know how.

"Completely and forever," she finished, punctuating her last words with a final squeeze to my hands.

"_I love you_," I mouthed to her, smiling as Pastor Weber began speaking once again.

I barely registered a word he'd said, but having gone through the ceremonial proceedings together with him numerous times before, I answered "I do" instinctively when he stopped speaking. It seemed Bella's attention span was just as wayward as my own was as I had to give her hands a gentle shake as a cue that it was her turn to say the words. She blushed from neck to forehead and repeated it twice quickly in embarrassment as I heard Emmett chuckle and saw Rosalie shaking with silent laughter out of the corner of my eye.

We were quite the pair up there.

"Edward, in the presence of your family, loved ones, and the Lord above, repeat after me..."

He didn't get through the first sentence before I ripped my gaze away from Bella for the first time since she'd appeared at the end of the aisle and had to do a double take to make sure I was hearing him correctly. My lips mashed together as I fought off a round of laughter and shook my head up at the sky as Bella giggled quietly and our entire wedding party was nearly wheezing with the forces of their laughs.

"Em...I'll repay you for this one day. Mark my words," I warned, casting him a single glance.

"Hey you made the rules of the bet and then lost. Winner's choice remember?" he chuckled, letting out a whining sigh of amusement.

"Edward..." Pastor Weber urged, trying to stifle his own laughter.

I sighed, sniggering under my breath just once and shaking my head as I focused my gaze back down on Bella before me and tried to repeat his words without botching them completely with laughter. Key word there _tried_...and failed.

"I, Edward Anthony Cullen-Masen, do solemnly swear to never again change my last name regardless of any degree of mid-life identity crisis I may one day have, always remember to return the driver's seat in your car to it's original position after I've driven it, to finish drinking the last half glass of beverage from its carton instead of putting it back in the fridge, and to appreciate your and Emmett's love of all things _Family_ _Guy _until death do us part."

"Isabella," Pastor Weber began, pausing to compose himself with a slight shake of his head as he wiped away under his eye. "In the presence of your family, loved ones, and the Lord above, repeat after me..."

It took all of five seconds for her to gasp, her mouth dropping open as her head spun toward the women standing behind her and she fiercely whisper yelled "_Rosalie!_" in chastisement.

My God, I don't think there was a dry eye in the house, and it wasn't from high flying emotions either as one would assume. I knew I'd made a deal with the devil that horribly fated day three months back, and now we were both paying for it..._dearly_.

"We're getting them back for this. Just wait until they get married," she whispered before plastering the cheesiest grin on her face, settling her gaze on me, and squaring her shoulders as she prepared to own her part of our joint mortification. And this was just _one_ of the things I loved so very dearly about her.

She took nearly every little thing in life in stride, regardless of its nature.

"I, Isabella Marie Swan, do solemnly swear to always remember to not leave my bras laying around when company is coming over, to relinquish control of the remote to you when your favorite shows come on as long as you hand it back in time for _Family Guy_ unless there's a championship game on, to surrender your share of the blankets on cold nights and stop hogging them all to myself, and to help scrape the barnacles off the hull of our boat, even though they thoroughly gross me out, until death do us part."

"May I have the rings please?" Pastor Weber chuckled, giving up trying to subdue his amusement in the moment as he held his hand out toward Emmett. Once they were in hand, he spoke again, "May these rings be blessed and serve as a constant reminder of the vows you have made to one another on this very special day. Edward, if you would take Bella's ring and repeat after me..."

I took it and slid it over her finger, looking deeply into her eyes as I spoke, "I give you this ring as a token of my undying love and eternal devotion." Once it was on, I slid her engagement ring off her right hand where she'd temporarily placed it and replaced it on her left ring finger before bringing her hand up to my lips to seal my vow with a kiss to her finger.

"Isabella, if you would take Edward's ring and repeat after me..." Pastor Weber spoke again as he held my ring out for her. She took it and smiled up at me as she slid the ring down on my finger to its final resting place and repeated his words with staggering sincerity before lifting our hands and pressing a kiss to my ringed finger, sealing her vow just as I'd done for her.

"Edward and Isabella, you have stood before all who gathered here today and the Lord above and vowed to spend your lives loving one another. As you walk your journey together as one from this moment on, hand in hand, I pray the passage I've chosen for you brings forth comfort and strength in times of need," he spoke, surprising us completely.

We both turned our heads to look at him as he smiled kindly and recited the words from memory. "Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all thing, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."

I looked to Bella as she swiped away at a tear, her chin quivering slightly as we quietly thanked him and squeezed my hands as she turned her head back to look at me.

"It has been my honor to stand before such a loving young couple and bare witness to the promises you've made to one another, and it is with great pleasure that I now pronounce you husband and wife. May you seal your unity now with a kiss," he finished, finally saying the words I'd been nearly dying to hear for a solid hour.

The moment our lips touched, a round of cheers and applause exploded around us, making us grin and laugh happily as we broke apart.

"May I be the first to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Cullen-Masen!" Pastor Weber exclaimed proudly as we turned our faces to our family and friends.

Cameras were snapping and flashing away as I swooped her up into my arms, her surprised squeal followed by a peal of laughter from her lips as I began our trek back down the aisle. When her eyes met mine, bright and shining with excited happiness, I grinned down at her and nudged her with my nose as I brought my lips down to hers for another kiss from my new wife.

My beautiful wife. I couldn't get over how it sounded in my head every time I thought it. Isabella was finally my wife and I was her husband. _Nothing_ could ruin the sheer bliss I was feeling at the moment.

"Are you ready?" Bella asked as I slowed my steps toward the end of the dock. I nodded and smiled to her as I gently lowered her bare feet down onto the wooden planks and took my place next to her facing the water.

A few weeks earlier, Bella had gotten inexplicably emotional over the fact that my parents wouldn't be with us on our wedding day so I came up with the idea of her and I having a private memorial service - in lieu of the traditional congratulatory receiving line that we truly didn't need - as a way of including them in our special day.

I looked over to her after a series of silent moments and found her with her eyes closed, a single tear trailing down her cheek as she whispered silent words into her bouquet of flowers. Words that only the gentle breeze and my parents spirits in the heavens could hear. My own eyes began to tear as I looked back out over the waters, remembering the dreams I'd had over the last year of them, smelling their familiar scents in the breeze and hearing their phantom voices in my memories.

When she kissed one of the flowers softly, I shook off my wistful faraway thoughts and whispered my own words into the bouquet. The only words I now knew to be forever true.

"_I love you both and know you're with me always_._"_

With that, I wrapped my hand around hers and together we lowered the vibrant bouquet into the water for the tide to bring out to sea with our messages of love and remembrance.

I held onto Bella tightly, wrapping her safely in my arms as we watched the sun sink lower and lower toward the water until she was ready to head back to the reception. With one last look over the water as she turned in my arms, I ducked my head down for a soft kiss as I laced our fingers together and then began leading us back to the beach.

"What's with the chair?" I asked as we approached the rest of our gathered family, curious and confused as it was right in the center of the dancing area.

"Apparently Emmett can't wait for you to get your last surprise yet, so it looks like we're doing the garter retrieval before the first dance," she snickered, shaking her head as she smiled. I looked over to my brother and saw him practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, grinning so wide I feared his face might split open.

I shrugged and swept her back up into my arms, "It's not like we ever do anything the normal way anyhow."

I sat her down in the chair as someone began playing some incredibly corny stripping music, unable to keep the laughter from bursting from my lips at the sound of it as I knelt before her and our family and friends crowded around. She giggled as I lifted her left leg, pressing her bare foot against my chest and waggled my eyebrows at her suggestively. As some of the guys began catcalling and cheering, and the girls laughed and whistled, my hands inched further up the smooth skin of her calf, dragging the bottom of the dress along with them.

I'd been roughly a half a second away from tossing the fabric over my head until my fingers brushed against something that wasn't her soft skin, nor was it the satin or lace material I'd been expecting to feel. The smile began to fall from my lips as my brow furrowed at her in question. She merely bit her lip, her gaze softening and misting as my hand covered the item held against her thigh by her garter.

"Bella?" I rasped, my heart started taking off at a frantic pace and tears filling my eyes as moments of the last few weeks flashing into my mind's eye as I began sliding the garter and paper down her leg gently. All the emotional outbursts, nausea, fatigue...the tears that sprang into Esme's eyes each time she'd spotted me since my birthday...the pride and joy in Carlisle's eyes each time I spotted him gazing at me with a warm smile. I'd noticed all of it but excused all of it away easily and purposely...because I hadn't wanted to get my hopes up so soon.

Her tears spilled over as she mouthed "_I love you_" to me just as my hands reached her knee.

My breath was leaving me in short bursts, my emotions threatening to take me over as the paper emerged between the fingers of my trembling hand and my eyes were instantly drawn to the fuzzy black and white image it held.

"We're pregnant," I breathed, my own tears spilling over as I traced the image with my fingers. "Oh my God, baby...we're _pregnant_," I repeated louder as my eyes darted up to hers, a grin breaking across my face as she laughed and nodded, tears still flowing down her cheeks.

In nearly an instant, she was cradled in my arms as I spun us around in a circle, shouting for the entire world to hear that we were going to have a baby. Cheers and congratulations rang out from all around us with a surge of applause and camera flashes, but nothing in that moment existed to me but her and her warm smile and soft laughter.

Kneeling before her with my hands on her hips, thumbs caressing the sides of her stomach, I closed my eyes and pressed my lips to her lower belly. My heart was bursting with happiness as I whispered my first words to our unborn child, "Welcome to the family, little one. Mommy and Daddy love you dearly already and can't wait to hold you in our arms."

I looked up into Bella's eyes as she looked down at me, her hands threading into my hair as I returned her smile as I pressed one more kiss to her belly before standing.

My life, _our_ _life_, was perfect, and in that moment as the beginning notes to _Luther Vandross _and _Mariah Carey's "Endless Love"_ began to float through the air, I knew it always would be.

"I love you, Bella Masen. You and our baby growing inside of you mean more to me than anything in this world," I told her as I pulled her close and swayed us slowly from side to side and gazed deeply into her beautiful shimmering eyes.

As long as we always had each other, our life together would forever be nothing short of perfect. The love we shared was more than I could have ever hoped or dreamed of finding in life. It was strong enough to have healed us both and brought us back to life, and it continued to grow with each and every passing day. It was endless...

_Our _endless love.

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**A/N: This is it peeps...one more chap to go til we reach the very end. Thanks again for all of your continued support, and I hope you join me again in any future fanfic journeys I embark on ^_^. Don't forget to check out the image album (link in profile). See yas on the flipside! ~Jersey~**


	41. Fin

**A/N****: OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG....Pay me no mind...C yas at the bottom *runs off for a box of kleenex***

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Disclaimer: Any material related to Twilight belongs solely to SMeyer. Everything else associated with only ToF, belongs solely to me. Don't plagiarize! *scrunches face* It's mean.

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Fin

EPOV

"Zachary, Lillian, Allison!" I yelled up the stairs, raising my voice above the cacophony filling the walls of our home. "Downstairs on the double kids!"

"Dack-ree, Ee-an, A-wee!" two year old Jackson mimicked me in my arms, tilting his head to look up the stairwell. "Tum dow!" I chuckled and kissed the top of his head as I bounced him in my arms. Eyes identical to Bella's, deep brown with golden starry flecks, stared up at me along with a proud toothy grin.

"Who's Daddy's little monkey?" I chuckled, tickling his sides. Bella always laughs and calls him my little monkey because he copies everything I do like a perpetual game of "Monkey see - Monkey do."

That, and even at just a little over two years old, the kid climbs everything within his reach. He's our little dare devil and he keeps us on our toes twenty-four seven. At just eleven months old he'd mastered the skill of climbing out of his crib and nearly gave us heart attacks when we went to retrieve him after his nap to find his crib and room empty. Little bugger had snuck his way into Lily and Ali's room and we found him curled up between the girls in Ali's bed.

"Me Dada mockey!" he giggled as he squirmed in my arm.

"That you are, little man," I sniggered as I tossed him above my head getting him to squeal excitedly.

Within moments I heard the telltale sound of their approach. The three of them, on top of Jonathan and his brother Ethan, as well as Emmett and Rosalie's kids, Maribella and Aiden, sounded like a herd of laughing elephants on the floor above us as I turned away from the stairs to rejoin everyone in the living room.

"_Jeebus_, it's colder than a witch's teat out there!" Jasper griped, his arms filled with wood for the fireplace, Emmett laughing behind him as he kicked his boots against the threshold of the front door to remove the snow.

It was only two days after Thanksgiving, the day we ritually got together to take the photos of our families that would become our holiday greeting cards, and this year we'd been unexpectedly slammed with three and a half feet of snow. It had begun snowing just after we'd finished our holiday feast, and it was coming down so hard that we'd requested everyone to spend the night with us rather than attempting to travel in the storm.

Little did we know at the time that what was only supposed to be a few inches of accumulation overnight would turn into a few feet over the next few days, turning our home into the Masen Family Inn until the roads were cleared out enough for everyone to travel safely home. It wasn't that we minded the company, because we didn't...not in the least. It was great being able to spend so much time with everyone, but it was also extremely stressful trying to accommodate such a large group of people.

And stress wasn't something Bella needed at the moment while being six and a half months pregnant with, miraculously, another set of fraternal twins. Nine years of blissful marriage had blessed us with four beautiful children and two more on the way.

I couldn't be happier if I tried.

"Hey Ma, have you seen Bella anywhere?" I asked as I passed Jackson off to her awaiting open arms.

"She's in the kitchen, Edward," Rose chimed in as Kylie sat next to her, hands on Rose's protruding belly and a smile on her face as she felt baby Ashley move around. I could only wish our pair on the way would be cooperative enough to grant us knowledge of their genders, but thus far, they've been quite stubborn in thwarting our attempts to peek.

"Dad, can we play outside after we're done taking pictures? Please?" Zach asked with begging eyes.

Looking down at my first born is like looking at a mirror reflection of myself at his age. Everyone in the family calls him either my mini-me or the nickname they'd given him for our family reunion shirts..."_Doppelganger_".

"Sure, buddy. Maybe your Uncles, Pop-pop, and Grampa will help us build a snow fort like last year," I smiled down at him as I tried to tame his wild hair. Poor kid had inherited every last one of my genes...right down to the reddish brown riot atop his head.

"Do me a favor though, big guy. Keep your sisters and brother out of the boxes under the tree while I go hunt down your mother, kay?" I asked, knowing their mischievous little fingers would be clawing at the paper of the props in no time flat, thinking they were real gifts.

He nodded and I watched as he walked over to the giant nine foot tree Emmett and I had nearly killed ourselves dragging out of the garage storage loft the Sunday before Thanksgiving and sat down in front of it to man his post. He's such a good kid and he's brought nothing but joy to our lives from the moment he was born.

Sometimes it amazes me how unique each of our children's personalities are. Zach is our little lover and gifted child. At four years old we learned that he has quite the musical ear after I'd been playing the piano with him on my lap. I'd taken my hands off the keys while Bella had been talking to me and he'd nearly flawlessly replayed part of the accompaniment of the piece I'd been working on.

By age six he'd been able to listen to me play a piece entirely through and mimic it perfectly. It's how he got his nickname "_Mozart_". He's also a bona fide Momma's boy through and through with no shame of it either. He caters to his mother's every whim with a smile, much like I do, further proving he truly is my little Doppelganger.

Allison is our headstrong independent child. From age two on she's insisted on doing everything herself. She marches to the beat of her own drum, that one, and is as stubborn as the day is long. She's loud and outgoing, competitive; a complete extrovert in every way. She's our little "_Wild Child_".

Lillian is her exact opposite. Allison's mirrored self, pretty much. She's sensitive, affectionate, and timid around people she doesn't know or around large groups of people, even if she knows them all. She's introverted and has such a vivid imagination that Esme deemed her "_Artiste_" because she's adamant Lillian will one day either be an artist or an author just like her mother. She's my little cuddlebug and I fear the day she realizes how tightly she has me wound around her fragile little fingers.

Jackson is without a doubt, hands down, our "_Mischief_ _Maker_". He gets into any and everything he can _possibly_ get his chubby little hands on. He's also a complete dichotomy. The kid can be the sweetest most loving angel one minute, and the next he's acting like a complete brute. He gets it entirely from Emmett rough housing with him all the time.

It was a little amusing in the beginning, but it stopped being so the day he suddenly stood up on the couch and threw his sippy cup across the room before diving off the couch and nailing Lily in the back with the underside of his arm and elbow. A friggen wrestling move that he'd undeniably learned from watching WWE with Emmett. My poor little Lilybean had the wind knocked completely out of her and wound up with a giant bruise from his elbow right over her shoulder blade.

Uncle Em is now forbidden to watch wrestling or even play it on X-Box when Jackson's around.

"Bella?" I called out and then halted my steps abruptly upon entering the kitchen. "What are you doing?" I chuckled.

"Ugh...I'm _roasting_," she grumbled, pulling her sweater back down over her belly and closing the freezer door she'd been waving back and forth in front of her. "Seriously, did someone set the thermostat to inferno or something this morning?"

I sniggered under my breath and shook my head as I watched her cross the room to the back door and fling it open to stand in the entryway while holding the screen door open.

"Love, just take the sweater off," I said as I wrapped my arms around her shoulders from behind her as she repeatedly lifted and lowered the hem of her shirt, trying to wave cold air up it.

"You'll all be lucky if I don't strip down to just my unmentionables the very second the winning picture is taken," she scoffed and I tried to hold back my laughter. Carrying twins seemed to quadruple the intensity of her hot flashes. The last two and a half months of her pregnancy with Allison and Lillian, she barely ever wore anything more than a tank top, underwear, and socks because it was winter and her feet were always cold...which was completely fine by me.

"Why are you torturing yourself with the sweater if you're so warm? Just take it off and be done with it, honey. It's just a picture," I smiled as I kissed her cheek.

"So Alice can attack me with another flaming curling iron when I mess up my hair? I think not, Bub. I've endured that torture once today and that was enough for me," she laughed, practically lifting her sweater up to her shoulders.

"It's a good thing we don't have neighbors in back of us or they'd be getting a free show of my wife's beautiful body," I teased, slipping my arms around her waist to rest my hands on her belly.

"Beautiful my booty. I'm as big as the Titanic already," she grumbled. "Oh for crap's sake! Get it off me, _please_. Just don't mess up the hair!"

I laughed as she quickly pulled her arms into her sweater. I slid my hands underneath it and between the turtleneck collar and her neck, stretching it out to get it over her head without destroying her hairdo.

"Better?" I asked as she turned back around and flung the screen door open again.

"Much," she sighed, a slow smile creeping across her lips as she closed her eyes against the frigid breeze flowing into the house.

"Are you guys..._whoa_!" Em's voice echoed in the kitchen, causing me to spin sideways rapidly just as he turned around. I had to laugh at the way the back of his neck flushed crimson almost instantly as he began stammering. "Uh...everyone's ready...so...uh...yeah...whenever you guys are ready."

"Jeez, Em...it's just a _bra_," Bella laughed.

"Yep, sure 'nuff is," he mumbled, retreating quickly.

"Want me to go fish you out another shirt from the closet?" I asked as she went back to waving the screen door in front of her.

I felt for her, I really did. She was flushed all over from feeling overheated and her face had even broken out with a slight sheen of sweat. If she was already suffering like this at only six and a half months, I hated to think of how uncomfortable she was going to be over the last month.

With the girls, those last few weeks had been unbearable for her. She'd been unable to sleep between being unable to find a comfortable position while laying down and constantly flipping back and forth between burning up and feeling slightly chilled. She was irritable and exhausted daily and stretched so far that even just breathing had caused her discomfort. By the time she went into labor, she'd barely had the energy to make it through the birthing process.

"Yes, please. There's a cream colored sweater hanging next to the vanity. It's a lot thinner than that bulky thing," she answered, wrinkling her nose as she pointed at the thick red sweater I'd extracted her from.

"Okay. I'll be right back," I nodded, leaning in to kiss her before heading off toward the stairs.

I almost broke my neck on the landing, not watching where I was going and tripping over one of the Allison's roller skates. Out of all of our children, she was by far the messiest; always leaving her toys everywhere in the house and losing them, throwing her dirty clothes on the floor instead of in the hamper after bath time, and ripping her closet and drawers apart daily while dressing herself and leaving the room a disaster zone.

It drives Lily crazy because they share a room and, even at just five years of age, Lily is impeccably organized and keeps her side of the room immaculately clean. It's caused quite a number of fights between the two of them, and the most recent one ended with Allison destroying the carpet by using a permanent marker to draw a line down the middle of the room.

It's with that reason that Bella and I have recently been talking about buying a bigger house. We just don't have the room in our current one for them each to have their own rooms. As it stands, we've had to move Jackson into Zach's room once we found out Bella was pregnant again so we could turn his room into a nursery again. With only four bedrooms in the house, we're limited on space we can work with. Of course, Bella wants to renovate instead of moving because she loves our home too much to let go of it, which I'm sure we could manage...but it'd be double the stress as moving would be.

Unfortunately, I still lack the ability to deny her a thing...so in all likelihood we'll end up temporarily living in the house Esme and Carlisle purchased just a few blocks away that our entire family uses when anyone comes to visit us in Seattle while the second story of our home is gutted and redesigned. Bella thought it was utterly ridiculous for them to purchase a home for that purpose when they could all just stay with either us, Rose and Emmett, or Ali and Jasper, but it's definitely proven its worth over the years.

I picked up the stray toys in the hallway as I made my way down it and threw them into their owner's rooms, so Bella wouldn't hurt herself later on tonight when she came up to bed, and then grabbed her sweater from our bathroom before heading back down the stairs. When I finally got back down into the kitchen, I had to chuckle at the sight I walked in on. Bella, Alice, Rosalie, and Kate were all standing around with their shirts hiked up over their bellies, minus Bella who wasn't wearing one at all, comparing their baby bumps.

Our family was growing, and _rapidly_.

In the last nine years since Bella and I had gotten married, there has been some twenty-odd additions to the family.

Kate had married Garrett the spring after Bella's and my own wedding, and she's currently pregnant with baby number three. Stephan and Isabel, their first two, are now seven and four respectively.

Demitri and Ashley, who's now an executive chef at a prestigious New York restaurant that I can never remember the name of, got married the following fall. Their children, Ellie and Carmen - named after their grandmothers - are six and two and a half.

Alec ended up calling it quits with the girl he'd been dating at the time of our wedding, but ended up meeting Mika, his now wife, at a "Guns n Hoses" police and firefighter event a year later. They got married the following year in front of his firehouse and the department threw a "Wetdown" for their reception. I had no idea what the hell that was when they were talking about it, but the day of, we found out that it's basically a giant barbeque event where townships from all over bring one of their ladder trucks and, at the end of the night, they circle them around a giant bonfire and unleash their hoses on it simultaneously. It was different...and fun as hell for all of us involved.

Mika's now pregnant with baby number two. Carrington, their first daughter, is now five.

Felix and Julie now have three children, and Julie put her foot down and got her tubes tied after Devon was born. Madison, Lexi, and Devon are now fourteen, eight, and six.

Gianna and Dominic had a bit of a rough run trying for a second child. Over four years Gianna had three miscarriages before Giovanni came along. It hadn't been an easy pregnancy for her from the beginning, and we'd almost lost them both during the delivery, but thankfully they pulled through. Giovanni was born six weeks early and spent the entire first month of his life in the neonatal intensive care unit. Dominic had a vasectomy immediately afterwards.

Giovanni will be five in January and he's the strongest little thing I've ever seen. We call him "_Holyfield_" because he's our little champion fighter. Vinnie's twelve and currently reigning champion of being the family smartass...and he's still infatuated with Bella.

Jane and Toby got married in Italy the same summer Emmett and Rosalie did just seven years ago. They were beautiful ceremonies held at Aro's Tuscan vineyard estate, very high class and very Rosalie...which made it all the more amusing when Bella and I exacted our revenge on her and Emmett for messing with our vows. Bella went above and beyond, writing them vows surrounding Rose's love of shopping and Emmett's favorite baseball team, the Chicago Cubs.

Jane and Toby have one set of twins, Alexander and Christopher who will turn six in May.

Irina was the last of our group to settle down, having just met her husband, Laurent, three years ago at one of Alice's fashion shows. He's some hotshot designer from Paris with a severe stick shoved up his ass, but she loves him so we all look past it...or at least try to. The guys and I have a bet going that they don't make it to their fifth anniversary before she clobbers him to death with a stiletto heel.

They're expecting their first, and probably _only_, sometime in April. The girls have a bet going that he'll want to name the kid something like _Chanel _or _Armani_. Pretentious prick.

And last, but certainly not least, we have Victoria - who's now twenty two and engaged to a Marine named Dave. I can't really say much about him because I've only met the man twice in the three years they've been dating, but from what I've briefly seen and heard of him, he seems like a genuinely nice guy. He treats her well and devotes every moment he can to her when he's not overseas on deployment.

At least he's not a pretentious prick with a stick up his ass.

They're set to be married next fall on base in North Carolina, but aren't planning on starting a family until he finishes his engineering degree.

"I know! I'm praying this one's a girl because it's _definitely_ our last," Alice giggled as she rubbed her little potbelly, pulling me out of my thoughts. She's probably the cutest little pregnant woman I've ever seen, especially when she starts to get really rounded out and begins the "Whitlock Waddle", as we've begun referring to it.

"Aw, c'mon Ali...you know you want at least two more," I chuckled as I made my presence known.

"Psh," she scoffed as she lowered her shirt over her little bump. "Not all of us can handle parenting the Brady Bunch there, Captain _Spermenator_."

"Will you _quit_ calling him that?!" Bella wailed, laughing as she slapped her arm.

"Well hell, Bells. It's true!" Rose guffawed. "Six babies in nine years? That _definitely_ earns him the title of the Spermenator."

"I'll let you ladies duke this one out on your own," I chuckled, handing Bella her sweater before retreating to the living room.

With the lack of seats available in the room, I took my spot on the piano bench we'd pulled in front of the tree for the pictures. Jackson had found his way from Esme's arms to Charlie's lap and was currently playing with his mustache. It entertains him to no end when the Chief wiggles it around and pretends to bite at his little fingers. The full on gut busting laughs he emits when Charlie catches one of his fingers never fails to crack me hell up.

"Dude, please tell me she's gonna put a shirt on before pictures," Em asked seriously as he jabbed his thumb toward the kitchen. I just rolled my eyes at him and smiled at Lily as I spotted her coming toward me.

"Bells streakin' again?" Jasper sniggered as I held my hands out for my little angel.

"Aw, my little Lilybean," I cooed as I lifted her into my lap and she curled herself into my chest. I rested my cheek against the top of her head, tuning out everything going on around us as I rocked us from side to side while she played with the buttons on my shirt.

"You okay, baby?" I murmured to her. She'd been so quiet all day and climbing into either Bella's or my lap with more frequency than usual...which was sometimes worrisome because it usually meant she was upset about something. She nodded silently as I pressed my lips to her hair and I sighed as I tightened my arms around her.

"I love you, Lilybean," I said softly as I continued rocking us.

"Love you too, Daddy," she whispered, tucking her head under my chin just as Bella and the girls came into the room.

"Alright...who's going first?" Esme asked, waving her camera in the air.

"Dear God, we are!" Bella exclaimed instantly as she waddle hopped across the floor to us. "I'm roasting again. Ten more minutes and I'll be a puddle of Bella-goo on the floor."

Everyone broke out laughing as she fanned the hem of her thin sweater quickly before sitting on the bench beside me.

"Yeah, yeah, little one. Keep your shirt on, will ya?" Emmett laughed as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Okay, angel, it's picture time. Can you smile pretty for Daddy?" I asked and she lifted her face up toward mine with a big ol' whopping cheesy grin that made me laugh. "There's my beautiful girl."

She slid off my lap after I kissed her forehead and kneeled down on the floor next to my leg just as Allison took her spot next to Bella's.

"Thanks, Pop," I chuckled as he held a squirming Jackson out toward us. "C'mere tough guy."

"Zach, honey! It's picture time!" Bella called out and he came running from down the hall, Jonathan hot on his heels, and both of them flushed in the cheeks and slightly rumpled. She quirked a brow at him as he tried to straighten his shirt and he flushed a little brighter as he dropped his eyes to the floor and made his way over.

"Sorry, Mama," he mumbled as she snickered beside me and beckoned him with her finger.

As soon as he was within grasp she took a hold of his face and peppered the side of it with playful kisses, making him laugh and pull his shoulder up to his ear as he tried to turn away.

"_Mom_!" he whined, still laughing as she pulled back, smiling brightly.

"Meh...I'm your Mama and I love you. Deal with it bucko," she laughed as he narrowed his eyes at her and pursed his lips, fighting off a grin as she fixed his shirt.

"Yeah, yeah. Love you too," he responded, trying to look annoyed but his grin broke through with a chuckle and he wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed her cheek before plopping down on the floor between Ali and Lily.

I looked over at Bella as I settled Jackson in the middle of our laps and wrapped my arm around her, and smiled. After nine years of marriage, she was still the very center of my universe. She was still the most insanely gorgeous woman I'd ever laid my eyes upon, and the love of my life.

"You're my world," I whispered to her, leaning my head in for a kiss.

She smiled, gazing into my eyes with smoldering love and whispered back, "You're my life."

I kissed her once more and then looked between all of our children, "You guys ready?"

"On the count of three, everybody say mac n' cheese!" Carlisle called out, making everyone crack up. "One...two...three!"

"Mac n' cheese!"

_*click*_

...And we all lived happily ever after_._

* * *

**A/N****: That's it folks! I've been chanting to myself that I wouldn't cry when I did this...so I'm gonna speed through this shizz. Thanks so much for joining me on this awesome ride. I know I'm just as sad to see it end as many of you have told me you are, but, on a positive note, I'll be starting a new story soon called **_**Through the Flames**_**. I'll be sending out a little teaser from it for everyone who reviews this chapter. I hope you all enjoy it and join me for the journey. **

**On another note, to anyone wondering what's going on with that interview thing I mentioned a few weeks back, it's going to be coming up on the Southern Fanfiction blog. When it's going to be posted there...I have no clue, but I will keep you all posted with an author's note whenever it does so. **

**Peace out peoples! Much love to you all ^_^ ~Jersey~**


	42. AN Regarding Interview

**Just thought I'd drop a line to tell you all that the interview is officially up and I come across like a complete spastic tool! Don't miss out on getting a few laughs in at my idiotic expense LOL. For those of you that were looking forward to reading the interview, you can check it out here ~ www(dot)southernfanfictionreview(dot)com**

**Please please please, I beg of you if you do read it, leave a comment for the lovely blog ladies who put forth so much effort in supporting authors across the fandom.**

**Now go! Fly like the wind my lovelies and do try not to soil yourselves with laughter while getting to know a little bit about me ^_^ .**

**~Jersey~**


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